Adventures in Hoenn
by EMIYASatosiKetchum3457
Summary: Divergence in Gotta Catch Ya Later Gary tells Ash that he needs to grow up if he wants to become good enough to win a Pokemon League. This has a major impact on Ash and his journey in the Hoenn region. Now Ash is more determined than ever to conquer the Hoenn League. Smarter/Progressively more mature Ash. AdvanceShipping
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Divergence

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

This story starts in the episode, Gotta Catch Ya Later, where Ash is chasing after Gary. This story will divert from what Gary tells Ash and it will have a major impact on Ash. This is what I think the Hoenn saga could've been like if Ash aged, and matured.

Author note: This story doesnt originally belong to me but to an author named Discostu09 who hasn't uploaded any of his story since March I am now again starting the story

Introduction – Chapter 1 – Divergence

"Hey Gary! Gary! Wait up!" Ash shouted impatiently as the young trainer from Pallet Town ran up a steep hill to where his rival – former – rival, he should say, waited for him. His most loyal companion, Pikachu, trailed not too far behind him.

"What's up, Ash?" Gary Oak, former Pokémon Trainer and now aspiring Pokémon Researcher, asked him curiously.

A few seconds later Ash stopped in front of him before bent over and rested his hands on his knees. The young trainer sucked in the air; he had run quite a far way from Professor Oak's lab to reach here.

"Have you come to say goodbye, Ash?" Gary asked him.

"Yeah." Ash panted.

"Thanks Ash." Gary said gratefully.

Ash straightened his back and he looked Gary in the eyes after getting his breath back, "Why are you leaving so soon?"

"I don't know. It's just like I need to keep on moving." Gary informed him, "I want to keep travelling and learning more about Pokémon. So Ash, what is your plan of attack going to be?"

"I'm not sure yet." Ash replied.

Gary frowned for a moment. For most of his life he hadn't rated Ash as someone that could become a good Pokémon Trainer but throughout his journey in Johto, that opinion began to change. Ash could come up with some amazing strategies on a fly and he had some powerful Pokémon, like his Charizard. However there were still issues that Ash had that would prevent him from winning a league and then taking on the Elite Four to become a Pokémon Champion. He wondered for a moment if he should tell his friend this and he decided that, while his words might seem harsh, he hoped that it would have a positive effect on Ash in the long run.

"I need to tell you something, Ash." Gary told him seriously.

"What is it?" Ash asked him with a confused face.

"You need to grow up if you want to be good enough to win a league." Gary said bluntly.

"What?! I beat you, didn't I?!" Ash said angrily.

"Pika!" the electric mouse also piped up with an angry expression on his face.

Gary's calm demeanour didn't change and he explained, "Yes, you did beat me Ash. However that isn't the same as winning a league. For most of my journey, I was distracted by my interest in learning about Pokémon and their evolutions and I didn't spend as much time training them as I should have."

"I still don't understand how this is related to me." A puzzled Ash told him.

"Do you remember our battle Ash? Your Charizard defeated three of my Pokémon. The problem that you have is that you rely on your Charizard or Pikachu to pull off big wins." Gary explained to his friend, "Those two are your strongest Pokémon and there is a fair gap between them and the rest of your Pokémon. Do you remember that time back when we were at my grandpa's lab and he checked our Pokédex?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, I remember that he said I had seen a lot of Pokémon but I had only caught a small amount."

"And he said that I had seen less but caught a lot more." Gary reminded him, "And do you remember the argument that we had afterwards?"

Ash could recall that argument clearly. Ash didn't think that it was a good strategy because you couldn't befriend such a large amount of Pokémon but Gary believed that he needed a good large variety of Pokémon.

"We were both wrong, Ash." Gary shocked Ash with his comment. Ash never thought that the day would come that Gary Oak admit that he was wrong. "You have too little Pokémon, Ash and I have far too many. You need to find the right balance and you need to stop catching the same kinds of Pokémon."

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned him, "I have plenty of different kinds of Pokémon."

"You have a decent mix of different types of Pokémon but the way that they battle is very similar." Gary told him sharply, "Most of your Pokémon are quick and hard hitters Ash. That is the way that you like to battle. You use a fast but powerful offensive strategy. Apart from Snorlax, you don't have any Pokémon that can slow the tempo and grind a long and hard win. You need to learn when it is good to use your natural battle style and the times when to change it up. That is the reason why you lost to Harrison. The both of you had a similar battling style and in the end it came down to your strongest Pokémon."

Ash frowned and he had a thoughtful look on his face as he thought about what Gary was telling him.

"You should also start going out on your own." Gary informed him, "You did a smart thing by travelling with your friends Misty and Brock, especially Brock. However you're at the point where you have to stop relying on them and start taking care of yourself. It is the only way you can grow up and mature."

"I don't know. I don't think that I can travel on my own, well not alone; I have Pikachu with me, of course. However I think it would be pretty boring without any more people around." Ash glanced at his little companion.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed happily.

Gary shrugged, "It's just a suggestion, Ashy-boy. It's up to you if you want to take my advice or not. Before I leave I just want to you to ponder one final question. How does travelling with you, help your friend Brock achieve his dream?"

Ash couldn't find an answer to respond and Gary farewell-ed his friend but not before Ash gave him back half the Poké Ball that they had broke before they had begun their journeys. The grandson of Professor Oak soon headed off into the forest eager to start his own journey to become a Pokémon Researcher.

Fifteen minutes after Gary had departed, Ash and Pikachu both sat on a branch in a high tree and they could easily see the whole town of Pallet from their position.

"Do you think Gary is right, Pikachu?" Ash asked his most trusted companion. "Most of my Pokémon do seem to be quick and strong, don't they?"

"Pika." The electric mouse nodded in agreement.

"What about Brock?" Ash asked the electric Pokémon, "How is he going to achieve his dream travelling with us?"

"Chu..." Pikachu said sadly. He didn't know either.

"I suppose he can see a lot of different Pokémon but that's about it." Ash said, "He was always more preoccupied with cooking us meals, taking care of his Pokémon and doing general chores around the camp... Gary is right! We do rely on him a lot, don't we?"

Pikachu nodded.

"I'll give him a call when I get back home. It would be best to get his opinion on this." Ash decided, "Everything is changing Pikachu, I don't think I like it."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted and he pointed high into the sky. Ash looked up into the sky and out of a large cloud; he was astonished to see Ho-oh flying serenely through the air. Its beauty was so majestic and Ash couldn't take his eyes off it. The only Pokémon that he had ever seen that had the same awe inspiring beauty and gracefulness was the Lugia he had become friends with back in the Orange Islands.

"It's Ho-oh!"

The two of them watched it fly off in the direction that Ash knew the Hoenn region was located in.

"I know where it is headed. It's going to the Hoenn region. That's where all the Pokémon that I haven't seen before are and all of the battles that I am destined to fight in. Are you ready, Pikachu?!" Ash said in excitement.

"Pikachu!" the electric mouse equalled his trainer's excitement.

They both eagerly jumped off the branched and they landed easily on the soft terrain.

"I hate to do this to mum, but we can be just like Gary and start a whole new journey too!"

"Pika!"

Just as they began to run home, they didn't far because they ran over a concealed hole and they fell harshly in.

"I wasn't prepared for that," Ash muttered painfully, "and to be frank, I'm getting really irritated falling into holes."

Ash and Pikachu immediately knew who had dug this hole and the trio of laughs above them just confirmed it.

"Prepare for trouble,

and Make it double!

To protect the world from devastation,

to unite all people within our nation,

to denounce the evil of truth and love,

to extend our reach to the stars of above,

Jessie!

James!

Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!

Surrender now or prepare to fight!

Meowth, that's Right!"

"Team Rocket..." Ash said unsurprised.

The Team Rocket trio that consisted of Jessie, James and Meowth grinned down at them smugly.

"We're making a new start too and that is by going back to our reliable pit fall." Jessie informed them.

"This time however we dug it just a little bit deeper, that's the new part." James told them.

"And now you're in a whole lot of trouble." Meowth said smugly.

It had been a long day for Ash Ketchum after everything that Gary had told him and he wasn't in the mood for all of this. He quickly picked up Pikachu and he threw the electric mouse up into the air much to Team Rocket's shock. For a moment they thought that he was finally giving Pikachu up but unfortunately for them, that wasn't the case.

"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu smirked widely when he landed back on the ground just in front of Team Rocket and he unleashed a large burst of electricity at the trio. Team Rocket screamed in pain and when Pikachu finally let up on the attack, they fell to the ground.

Back in the hole, Ash pulled out the knife and fork that Brock had given him for his lunch and he used them to climb out of the hole.

"Nice work, Pikachu." Ash praised him when he was out of the hole.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed appreciatively.

"Why haven't we blasted off?" James wondered painfully.

"Because we need to talk!" Ash scowled at them.

"We have no interest in talking to you, twerp." Jessie growled but she couldn't get back up yet. She could still feel some shocks going through her body.

"Too bad because I'm telling you all once and for all to leave us alone!" Ash snapped at them.

"Not until we capture Pikachu." Meowth groaned.

"You do know that you have been trying that for almost 3 years right?" Ash asked them dully, "This whole time you could have simply captured a wild Pikachu and then trained it instead of being beaten every time like a pack of losers."

"How dare you address us that way, twerp!" Jessie snarled at him.

"I'm just speaking the truth," Ash shrugged, "besides does your boss even know your names?"

The trio looked startled at the question and they weren't able to come up with a decent answer because they truly didn't know if the boss knew who they were. As for Meowth, the boss didn't exactly hesitate to replace him with a Pokémon that he despised more than anything, a Persian.

"Do you really think that your boss is going to praise you by bringing Pikachu in after years of failed attempts to capture him?" Ash inquired, "I mean really think about it. Considering how big the Team Rocket organisation is, will you boss be impressed with you bringing in a Pikachu that he could easily catch in the wild?"

"You know, the twerp has a point." James admitted.

"I know! I am as shocked as you are!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Don't listen to him!" Jessie snapped at them, "Don't forget how powerful his Pikachu is!"

"Pikachu's strength comes from training and the bond between us." Ash told her, "Even if by some terrible miracle that you were able to take Pikachu, he would never fight for you and so you wouldn't be able to unleash his full power. Besides a leader of an evil organisation such as Team Rocket would only be interested in rare and legendary type Pokémon and Pikachu doesn't fall into any of those categories."

Jessie couldn't come up with a retort to that.

"Hopefully that sinks in. Now you can all go off and try to capture rare and legendary Pokémon or you can quit Team Rocket." Ash told them.

"You're joking!" Jessie spat furiously, "Why would we leave Team Rocket?"

"If you want to keep on being failures than stay with Team Rocket, but I saw the good inside of you the day that you help me save the world back at Shamouti Island. You all do some much better if you embraced that goodness inside of you. Meowth... do you realise that you can talk?"

"Of course I can talk, you idiot!" Meowth shouted annoyed.

"Don't you understand how rare that is for a Pokémon to talk in the common tongue?" Ash pointed out, "You could become a Pokémon translator. Do you know how many people would love to find out what their Pokémon thought about them?"

"You're right!" Meowth gasped.

"Why haven't we thought of this before?!" James said in astonishment.

"Think of all the money we could rake in!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Even more astonishing... is that it would be perfectly legal!" Meowth realised, "We would actually not have to worry about getting busted!"

Ash grinned at them before he turned away, "Goodbye Jessie, James and Meowth. The five of us has been through a lot, and you have angered me a lot over the years, but I wish you luck on all of your future endeavours."

Pikachu saluted them before he jumped onto Ash's shoulder and Ash walked away from them.

"He's just walking away..." James muttered in disbelief.

"And we are just letting him..." Jessie realised.

"He has just given us a great idea... I think we can let him keep his Pikachu." Meowth decided.

"You're right, Meowth. It would be rude of us to steal his Pikachu after he had just given us such a great idea." James agreed with his furry friend.

"Forget the twerp, we have money to make!" Jessie declared.

The trio and Ash wouldn't see each other again for a long time.

Professor Oak's Laboratory

Ash and Pikachu arrived at the professor's lab to tell him about his plans. Hopefully now he would be able to focus on his Pokémon training without having to worry about Team Rocket interfering. Ash found Professor Oak and Tracey in the living room looking over some of the Professor's old sketches and comparing them to some of Tracey's new ones.

"Hello, Ash." The professor greeted Ash when he noticed him enter the room, "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm just here to tell you that I am heading out tomorrow." Ash informed them.

"Already?" Tracey asked surprised, "Where are you going?"

"To the Hoenn region," Ash grinned at him, "there are a lot of Pokémon there that I have never seen before and I want to hurry and experience it all."

"I'm not surprised." The old man chuckled, "I updated your Pokédex back at the Silver Conference so you're up to date there. Which Pokémon will you be taking?"

"Pikachu, of course." Ash grinned.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted and he puffed out his chest.

"I'll also take... Cyndaquil and Totodile." Ash decided, "Also can I have Pidgeot's old Poké Ball?"

"Why do you need it?" Professor Oak asked him curiously.

"I'm going to go visit her and see if she wants to come back." Ash informed him, "I did promise her after all."

"Alright Ash, I'll get your Pokémon sorted." Professor Oak told him and he left the room to go and retrieve the Poké Ball.

"Make sure you tell your mother that you are leaving, Ash." Tracey reminded him. Ash could be quite forgetful after all, especially when he is excited.

"Yeah!" Ash nodded fiercely. His mother would be so mad if he didn't.

After Professor Oak gave him Pidgeot's old Poké Ball, Ash and Pikachu immediately headed out to the forest where he had released Pidgeot.

Forest

"Pidgeot!" Ash called out as he and Pikachu walked along a thin dirt road surrounded by large trees.

"Chu pika!" Pikachu shouted walking beside Ash.

The two of them had arrived at the forest where Pidgeot was for a few minutes now and still they didn't see any sign of her.

"Do you think that she is still here, Pikachu?" Ash asked his starter worriedly.

Pikachu's ears perked up when he heard the sound of wings beating in the air and he spun around and with extreme excitement, he began pointing to the sky, "Pikachu pi pika!"

Ash spun around and, to his delight, he saw a familiar large bird Pokémon flying eagerly towards him. He heard her chirp happily and she landed gracefully only a few feet from them.

"You're looking stronger than ever, Pidgeot." Ash praised her and he softly petted the side of her neck. For such a tough looking Pokémon, it amazed Ash that her feathers were so soft. Pidgeot responded by biting Ash softly with her beak. Pikachu jumped excitedly onto her back, "Pika pika!"

Pidgeot chirped in reply and Pikachu laughed and not for the first time did Ash wonder what his Pokémon talk about.

A loud amount of chirping suddenly entered Ash's ears and he looked up to see a large flock of Pidgey, Pidgeotto and to Ash surprise, a couple of Pidgeots.

"Do you want to come with me, Pidgeot?" Ash asked her hopefully and he held out her old Poké Ball, "Or do you want to stay with your flock?"

Pidgeot answered by pressing her beak into the button of the Poké Ball, Pikachu quickly had to jump off her and she was sucked into it. The ball wiggled twice before it settled.

"Welcome home, Pidgeot." Ash smiled at the Poké Ball in his hand.

"Pi pika!" Pikachu said happily.

Now Ash realised why the flock of Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Pidgeot were here, to say goodbye to the one that had protected them from the Fearow and Spearow.

"I'll take good care of her." Ash promised them all.

Ash's House

Ash had informed his mother of his plans when he got home and she had been upset that he was leaving so soon, but she was very understanding. She knew that he was too adventurous to stay in the one place and Delia had a secret fear because of his adventurous spirit, he would never settle down. Either way, she still had a long time before she had to worry about that.

Ash currently found himself sitting at the phone dialling Brock's number.

"Hello, Harrison residence. This is Brock speaking." The familiar face of Brock appeared in the screen of the video phone.

"Hey, Brock... its Ash," Ash greeted him, "how are you doing?"

"Ash!" Brock said with some excitement, "Good to hear from you. Yeah everything's fine over here except for my mother trying to turn the gym into a water type gym."

"Really?" Ash said surprised, "I take it that you stopped it from happening."

"Yeah," Brock grinned at him, "and now my younger brother Forrest wants to be a rock type Pokémon expert and the gym leader of the Pewter gym."

"That's some big goals." Ash whistled impressed, "Considering that he is your younger brother, there is no doubt he will achieve them."

"Thanks Ash." Brock said appreciatively, "So what's happening on your end? Are you heading off to another region?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, Pikachu and I are heading off to the Hoenn region tomorrow. I'm also taking Cyndaquil, Totodile and Pidgeot with me."

"Pidgeot's back?" Brock replied in surprise.

"Yeah," Ash grinned at him, "The flock is strong enough now that she wasn't needed. I've told Professor Oak just before I got home that whenever I send Pidgeot back here to let her out so she can go back to the forest. Whenever I need her, he will go and get her."

"That's a good idea." Brock approved, "Pidgeot will be able to get in some good training with its flock."

"That's what I thought." Ash told him, "Any chance you want to come with me to Hoenn?"

"I'd love nothing more to go travelling with you again, but right now I still have some responsibilities to take care of. If I can, I'll meet you somewhere in Hoenn." Brock informed him.

"How will you find me?" Ash asked him.

"I'll contact your mother and Professor Oak to let me know where you are." Brock explained, "Also make sure you keep in contact, you hear? If I can't make it, I still want to hear all about your journey."

"No problem." Ash promised him and then, after a moment's hesitation, Ash asked him a question, "Hey Brock, is travelling with me holding you back from your dream?"

"What? Where is this coming from?" Brock asked in puzzlement.

"It's just something that Gary told me." Ash admitted, "I'm just wondering if you're more focused on helping me than achieving your own dreams."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ash." Brock laughed at him, "Granted you could help out more when it comes to cooking and other chores like that, but I would never give up going on adventures with you unless I didn't have a choice. Being a Breeder is something that I can do until I die of old age but exploring the world is something that I won't be able to do much of when I'm older. Plus I get to meet so many different people and Pokémon and I also learn new methods on treating Pokémon. Plus think of all the beautiful women that are just waiting for me to sweep them off their feet!"

Ash nodded in relief and he couldn't hold back the slight chuckle at Brock's final line, "Well if you do manage to come, I promise to do a bit more concerning cooking and the chores."

Brock nodded, "If I make it, I'll start teaching you how to cook, so when the time comes when you're on your own, you will be prepared."

"Thanks Brock." Ash smiled gratefully at him. He truly was fortunate to have such a good friend. Although Ash considered him more than a friend, he was the big brother that he never had.

Despite only being separated for a few days, Ash and Brock talked on the phone for a while before they finally departed.

The young trainer spent most of the night with his mother, Mr. Mime, Professor Oak and Tracey as they threw a quick going away party for Ash. During the night, Ash promised Professor Oak and Tracey that he intended to catch a few more Pokémon than he usually would and also that he planned to catch types that he hadn't caught before. Also his mother revealed that she had created a new set of clothes for him to wear. The young trainer felt guilty for leaving his mother again so soon, and he assured her that next time he came back home he would at least try to stay for a week, minimum.

It was past midnight when the party ended and Ash lay in his bed with Pikachu sleeping at the top right corner. The young boy couldn't sleep however and he got up carefully, he didn't want to wake Pikachu, and headed over to his desk. He turned on a lamp and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. Ash made a list of all the Pokémon that he had;

Pikachu

Bulbasaur

Charizard

Squirtle

Pidgeot

Kingler

Muk

Tauros x30

Snorlax

Heracross

Bayleef

Cyndaquil

Totodile

Noctowl

Phanpy

Primeape

Ash looked over his list of Pokémon critically and he could see that Gary really was right. Most of his Pokémon really were the speedy powerful type and he didn't have much defensive power in his line up. He also remembered what Gary had said about him relying on Pikachu and Charizard too much and he hated to admit it, but he was correct again. Pikachu was his partner and constant companion and so it was natural for him to use him a lot. Also Charizard was one of his fully evolved Pokémon and with his training at the Charicific Valley, he was easily his strongest Pokémon.

That's why he needed to bring Cyndaquil and Totodile. They needed more training in order for them to evolve. Unlike Bulbasaur and Pikachu, the two of them had never expressed disinterest in evolving and so Ash believed that they just needed more training. Ash figured that Squirtle wouldn't evolve since he is the leader of the Squirtle Squad and he assumed that they must have had some pact not to evolve.

Phanpy was one that he intended to train as well. However Ash decided to let him stay at Professor Oak's for a while, he was still just a baby after all. Ash would let him enjoy being young for a while before picking up his training. He noticed that Phanpy was his only ground type Pokémon and he knew that he would have to catch some ground types when he gets to Hoenn.

Ash looked at the x30 next to Tauros and he grimaced. Looking back he had to wonder what he was thinking back at the Pokémon Swap Meet. He had been offered an Onix, Nidoqueen, Rhyhorn, and even Benny's Wobbuffet, which ended up in Jessie's hands, for his Tauros. He could have given them each a Tauros from the herd, they were just as strong as the one that he used, but for some reason he didn't. That would have given him far more variety to use in the Silver Conference.

Glancing at the others, Ash swore to himself that he would rotate his Pokémon more during his journey in Hoenn and give them all valuable experience.

The next morning after a big breakfast from his mother, Ash bade his mother farewell. He wore the new clothing that she had given him. He now wore a hoodie instead of a jacket, black gloves instead of green and new jeans and sneakers. He had a green backpack, with one pocket and a red Poké Ball design on it. He decided to keep his old hat; after all he had sent about a million postcards in order to win it.

Ash and Pikachu jumped onto Pidgeot's back and she eagerly flew them to Vermilion City where they had to take the boat to Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region.

'This time,' Ash promised himself, 'I will win the league... I will conquer Hoenn!'

End of Chapter

This will be an Advance Shipping story, but romance won't be a major factor. Also Brock will be travelling with Ash. Two reasons why he will be coming are; he is my favourite character and how the story diverts, I don't see how it affects Brock from coming. However since I am aging up the characters, Ash is 13 in this by the way, that leaves a quandary with Max. I'm aging May to 13 like Ash, but she is three years older than Max, that will make Max 10. That means that Max can become a trainer, so my question is, do you all want Max to be a trainer or should I keep him 7 years old and simply have May being six years older than him than three?

Also I know the moment with Team Rocket was out of character for Ash, but I needed a way for them to not bother with Ash anymore. I really cannot be bothered having them continuously show up and try to steal Pikachu. I hope you like the idea that Ash pointed out concerning Meowth. I mean, they have a talking Pokémon and Meowth is really the only one we have seen. Other from Pokémon using telepathy. So I figured that Team Rocket could use that to their advantage and get rich off it. They will appear again at some point in the story.


	2. A New Companion

Chapter 2: A New Companion

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon

Ash sighed in relaxation as he lay on a comfortable blue deck chair with a wide yellow strip down the middle. The weather was perfect. It was shining brightly but it wasn't too hot. It was warm with a nice breeze... the perfect weather, Ash believed. He was currently sailing on a large titanic boat that departed from Vermilion City and headed towards Littleroot Town. The young trainer from Pallet only had a pair of dark green swim trunks on and sitting next to him, on their own desk chair with an exact design to his own, was Pikachu and Cyndaquil. Both were curled up and resting comfortably under the favourable weather. The flames on Cyndaquil's were extinguished as he enjoyed the sun shining down on him. Ash had released Pidgeot from his Poké Ball and the large bird Pokémon was soaring through the sky taking in the beauty of the ocean. The energetic Totodile was currently playing a game of water volleyball with a group of teenagers, both male and female, in the pool that was set up in the middle of the deck. Ash wasn't surprised at how easily Totodile was able to worm himself into the game, the water Pokémon was far too energetic to not get caught up in it.

Ash looked up to see the brown haired captain in a navy uniform walk by with his Machoke following a few feet behind him.

"Excuse me, Captain," Ash asked him politely, "but do you know when we will be reaching Littleroot Town?"

The Captain looked thoughtful for a moment and he answered, "If we keep up this pace, I believe we will arrive tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay," Ash smiled gratefully at the Captain, "thank you."

"Is this your first time heading to the Hoenn region, young man?" The Captain asked the young trainer curiously.

"Yeah it is," Ash said with clear excitement in his voice, "I'm really excited!"

"All by yourself?" The Captain said in some surprise, "Does it not get lonely travelling on your own?"

"Nah," Ash shrugged it off easily, "not when I have my buddy Pikachu here," Ash reached over and gave Pikachu a soft pet on the ear, much to the electric mouse's delight, "and then there is all of my other Pokémon. I'm never alone."

"I see... you and your Pokémon must be very close friends for you to feel that way." The Captain noted with a smile.

The two of them chatted for a little bit before the Captain had his own duties to attend to. Ash smiled and he looked over towards the swimming pool where Totodile had just scored the winning point and he was now dancing around happily only a few feet from him. Suddenly two teenage girls, roughly at the age of sixteen walked past the area where Ash had been sitting and in an instant, Ash felt more confusion that he had ever felt. When they had walked past, Ash noticed that they were very pretty looking and suddenly his eyes instinctively lowered to their chests. One of them had a relatively large chest trapped in a tight looking blue bikini while the other one had a slightly smaller chest. A blush formed on Ash's face and he quickly looked away unfortunately the next thing he saw was another female teen bend over to pick up something and Ash got a good look at her covered yet nicely curved backside.

Somewhere in Pewter City, a dark skinned upcoming Pokémon Breeder suddenly grinned proudly. He had a feeling that his best friend, and little brother figure, was just starting to become a man; finally.

Ash sat up sharply and he raised his hands up to his eyes and he rubbed his face harshly. What on earth was wrong with him? He was suddenly feeling quite hot and it made him uncomfortable.

Ash quickly looked over to Totodile and he called out to the energetic water type, "Totodile, please hit me with Water Gun."

Both Pikachu and Cyndaquil immediately dived off the chair they were sitting on and they scurried over to a spot where they wouldn't get wet. They had no idea why Ash suddenly wanted to get wet on such a nice warm day.

Totodile didn't have any questions on why Ash wanted to get soaked and he eagerly unleashed a torrent of water at Ash. As energetic as he may be, Totodile knew how to hold back enough power to not hurt his beloved master with his Water Gun. Ash barely contained the shriek from the cold of the water he was hit with but once Totodile finished, the tactic seemed to work. He no longer felt all hot and bothered and he would have to remember that in the future if it ever happened again. Although Ash hoped that what just happened would only be a onetime thing.

He glanced around to see many people looking in his direction. Some were looking confused at his actions. A few teenage boys were smirking knowingly while a few male adults gave him sympathetic looks having been in his situation when they were a younger. A few teen girls giggled slightly. The two girls that had walked past him earlier were among them. Apparently Ash hadn't been very discreet when he checked them out.

They boy that had stared down the powerful Mewtwo, fought against the legendary bird Pokémon and had even dressed as a girl, blushed in embarrassment and he quickly headed towards the cafeteria. Totodile, Cyndaquil and Pikachu quickly followed their trainer in confusion.

Littleroot Town

Just as the Captain had predicted the previous day, the boat arrived safely at the port in Littleroot Town. As Ash gathered up his supplies, he was dressed in the clothes that his mother had made for him. He was able to fit in another two sets in his backpack along with the other necessities. Pikachu was sitting comfortably on his left shoulder, and he had his Poké Balls, which contained his other Pokémon, strapped to his belt.

"Okay buddy, are you ready to begin another adventure?" Ash asked his beloved companion determinedly. The embarrassment that he had felt the previous day was long behind him and he was now focused and excited for the challenge of trying to conquer the Hoenn region.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed in equal determination. Just like Ash, he yearned to win a Pokémon League for not only Ash, but for him and his fellow Pokémon. Pikachu felt that he didn't live up to the expectations that Ash expected of him in their last Pokémon League Tournament even though his trainer assured him countless times that he was proud of his performance.

Moments later, Ash stepped off the ramp and onto the cement road of Littleroot Town. He had just taken his first step in the Hoenn region and he felt a thrill run through his body just like when he arrived in the Orange Islands and Johto for the first time. While seeing different kinds of Pokémon and experiencing new Pokémon battles were always his major interest, he also loved the thrill of seeing new locations and new sceneries.

"I think it is time to head out to Professor Birch's laboratory. After everything I have heard about the man from Harrison, I am quite anxious to meet him." Ash said to Pikachu and his partner squeaked in agreement.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked his trainer when Ash didn't move. The young trainer from Pallet glanced at his starting Pokémon with a sheepish grin and he asked, "I don't suppose you know the way, do you?"

The electric mouse just responded with a dull look.

Ash rubbed the back of his head in confusion before he clicked his fingers in realisation, "I know!"

Ash pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt, "We will just fly on Pidgeot and find the laboratory from the sky. It would have to be pretty noticeable, wouldn't it?"

"Pika!"

Only moments later, Pidgeot took to the skies eagerly with her trainer on her back but she had to restrain herself from flying at a fast pace so Ash didn't tighten his hands on her feathers. Just like Ash had predicted, Professor Birch's laboratory was quite easy to spot and Ash noticed that it had many similarities to Professor Oak's lab.

Route 101

Riding happily towards Professor Birch's lab on her cycle was a 13 year old brunette girl. She wore a red t-shirt with a dark blue circle around her neck, dark blue bike shorts and a white skirt. She also wore red and yellow sneakers, a red bandanna with a white Poké Ball print, a yellow waist pack, and dark-blue and white gloves.

Her name is May and after delaying her Pokémon journey for three years, she was now on her way to Professor Birch's lab in order to get her first Pokémon. May didn't really like Pokémon and she tended to avoid her father's Pokémon but she was really interested in travelling. That brought her to this point in time, in order for her to travel the Hoenn region becoming a Pokémon trainer was the best way to do it.

Just when she was starting to get close to where her father had told her Professor Birch's lab was when she suddenly heard a loud shout for help. May decided to cautiously ride off in the direction that the pleas were coming from and she stopped at the top of a small grassy hill. Looking down she saw a man holding desperately onto a branch and a pack of small grey hyena looking Pokémon and they were all barking angrily at him. May recognised the man since she had known him since she was a child.

"Professor Birch?" May called out to him.

Birch looked up to see May on top of the hill, "Terrific, it's you May! Great timing, please open that bag over there!"

May blinked before she looked to her left and saw a small dark brown bag lying on the grass a few feet from her.

"This one here, right?" May asked him as she approached it.

"Yes! Grab anyone of the Poké Balls inside and hurry!" Birch said urgently.

"That's easier said than done." May said nervously after she opened the bag and she could see three Poké Balls resting on folders in the bag. "Which one do you want?"

"Anyone will do!" Birch shouted hurriedly.

"Okay... this one!" May closed her eyes and she picked up a random one. She immediately threw it into the air and the Pokémon was released from it. Out of the Poké Ball appeared a small amphibious quadruped Pokémon with a blue body and a light-blue underside. It has a large head with a blue fin on top, and a light-blue tail fin. It has black, beady eyes and orange, star-shaped gills on its cheeks.

"Great!" Birch cheered, "It's a Mudkip!"

"That's good," May told him as she watched the little creature shake its head, "now what should I do?"

"Call out one of its attacks!"

"Okay... which is?" May asked him in confusion.

"Just say use Water Gun now!"

May stood up after she had crouched down to the bag and she told Mudkip dully, "Got it, use Water Gun."

The small mud fish Pokémon obeyed the order but not in the way that she had wanted. It simply sprayed her in the face with a torrent of water it had unleashed from its mouth.

"Is that supposed to happen?" May asked in annoyance after she wiped her face.

Birch released a large sigh but unfortunately for him, the branch suddenly gave way under his weight and he fell hard onto the ground. He immediately got up and he began running around as the Poochyena started chasing him.

"Mudkip! This way!" Birch shouted, "Over here!"

Mudkip nodded obediently and it jumped off the hill and onto the ground not far from the Poochyena. Birch ran to its side and he said, "Use Water Gun on the Poochyena!"

"Mud..!" Suddenly the Poochyena looked nervous, "KIP!"

The small fish Pokémon unleashed a torrent of water at the Poochyena trio and the force of the water pushed them back. The moment that they were able to get back up they hurried off.

"Not bad." May commented.

"Thank you, Mudkip." Professor Birch said gratefully and he returned the Hoenn starter Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. The professor then looked up to the cliff where May was standing.

"Thanks for all of your help May." Birch told her sincerely.

"Oh it was nothing!" May waved him off with a large grin.

"You've really grown up since I last saw you, May." Professor Birch acknowledged.

"Professor just what were you doing? Why were you up that tree?" May couldn't help but question him.

Birch rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I was doing some of my research on the Zigzagoons but then I accidentally stumbled on this pack of Poochyena."

"You should be more careful then." May frowned at him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Birch chuckled before he was silenced when he remembered why she was here in the first place, "That's right! You're here for your first Pokémon, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am." May answered him nervously.

"I'm surprised that I didn't see you three years ago for your first Pokémon." Birch noted curiously.

"I just didn't feel ready enough to go out and travel around the world." May replied, 'Plus I am a lot more tolerant to Pokémon than I was three years ago.' She thought internally.

"Just let me find a way back up there and I'll officially give you your first Pokémon." Birch told her and he immediately went off to search for a way up the small cliff. It took him five to ten minutes to finally find a way back up and he immediately called out the three Pokémon that he had on him.

One was of course the Mudkip that May had recently called out. She knew that it wasn't the one that she would pick considering that it just sprayed her with a Water Gun moments ago.

Another was a small, green, bipedal reptilian Pokémon. It had yellow eyes with long, narrow pupils and it had a large, dark green tail with two separate lobes. It had a twig in the side of its mouth and it gave her an unimpressed look with its arms folded across its chest. Professor Birch explained that this was the Grass type Pokémon, Treecko. May thought that it was kind of creepy looking.

The final Pokémon that professor released from its Poké Ball was a small, chick Pokémon with stubby, downy, yellow wings. Its body was covered with orange feathers and it had an orange and yellow crest on its head that resembled a flame. Its two thin legs and short beak are a light brownish yellow colour, and its feet have three toes in front and one in the back. Birch explained that this was the Fire type Pokémon, Torchic.

"These are the three starting Pokémon here in the Hoenn region." Professor Birch explained to the young teen, "You can select whichever one that you would like."

"Okay." May said timidly as she looked over the three Pokémon.

"If I may give you some advice May," Birch said carefully, "The best Pokémon that you start with depends on several things. The first and most important thing is that you pick the Pokémon that you feel most comfortable with. That is really important. If there is more than one of them that you feel comfortable with then you have decide which will help you achieve your dreams easier. If you want to take on the Gym challenge, then I would advise you pick either Treecko or Mudkip. However if you want to do something else, then I would go with Torchic. A Fire Pokémon will be a big help to you until you reach Rustboro City. By then you should have other Pokémon to help you."

"So what you're saying is that it will be easier if I started with Torchic?" May asked for clarification.

"If you don't intend to take on the Gyms, then yes, I believe it would." Birch answered her.

May looked at the Torchic thoughtfully when suddenly the little fire Pokémon scurried over to her and began rubbing its head on her leg.

"Well this one is cute. Okay, I'll choose this one." May said happily and she gently lifted up the excited Pokémon.

"Okay now all I have to do is give you a Pokédex." Professor Birch told her after he returned Treecko and Mudkip back into their Poké Balls. He froze however when he couldn't find one in his pockets and he suddenly remembered something incredibly important.

"What's the time?!" Birch demanded to no one in particular and he quickly checked his PokéNav. "Oh! I'm late! This always happens when I work in the field!"

"What's wrong?" May asked him and she returned her Pokémon back into its Poké Ball.

"I forgot my son is starting his journey today as well!" Professor Birch groaned, "I was supposed to be at the lab 20 minutes ago to give him his starting Pokémon. Come on we have to hurry!"

May was impressed at how quickly the professor ran but she was easily able to take over the professor and the two of them hurried to his laboratory.

Professor Birch's Lab

Ash walked up to the double glass door and on the right side of the wall next to the door was a buzzer. The young trainer from Pallet had returned Pidgeot back into her Poké Ball when she landed and now he and Pikachu were eager to meet Professor Birch. He wondered if he would be anything like Professor Oak or Professor Elm. He hoped he didn't ramble on like Professor Elm did.

Suddenly the glass door shot open and it slammed into his face. Ash yelped in pain and he held his nose tightly, it had taken most of the hit. Fortunately it wasn't bleeding but Ash could feel the instinctive tears form in his eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry," Ash opened his eyes to see a boy roughly the same age as him at the door, "I thought you were for my father for a moment and I allowed my frustration to get the better of me."

"Don't worry about it." Ash shrugged him off. He did sound quite apologetic after all.

Wiping away the tears that had built up in his eyes, Ash took notice of the boy in front of him. The boy wore an orange t-shirt that had thick black stripes that covered the bottom part of his torso and separated up to his sleeves. He wore black pants that seemed to be covered by a thicker pair of black shorts that stopped just below his knees. He also wore orange finger-less gloves with green wristbands and he wore the strangest looking hat. It looked like he had white hair that was being held up with a green headband however Ash noticed that he had black sideburns. He also had a green backpack with a single strap that went down from his right shoulder to his left hip.

"Who are you?" the boy inquired.

"I'm Ash from Pallet Town. This is my buddy, Pikachu." Ash introduced and he signalled to his starting Pokémon that was standing a few feet away.

"Pika!" the electric mouse waved.

"I'm Brendan Birch." The fourteen year old boy said.

"So I take it you're Professor Birch's son." Ash assumed.

"That's right." Brendan nodded and with a grumble he added, "I've been waiting for my starting Pokémon for over 20 minutes now. I hate it when he is late to important events."

"You're getting your starting Pokémon?" Ash blinked in confusion, "Why now? Shouldn't you have gotten it a few years ago?"

Brendan smiled easily at the question, "Yeah, I could have got one four years ago but I decided to stick around with my dad and learn about as much about Pokémon as I could. I was content with that. However over the last few months I have desired to go out and battle the Gyms and now I have decided to go out and do it. Did you start when you were ten?"

"Yeah I did." Ash replied.

"What Pokémon did you start with?!" Brendan asked eagerly. He hadn't met many people from the Kanto region, "Since you're from Pallet Town that must mean that you got your starting Pokémon from the Professor Oak! That means a Bulbasaur, Squirtle or Charmander!"

"I would have got one of them if I hadn't of been late the morning that I started my journey." Ash chuckled sheepishly, "However they were all gone and so I started with Pikachu here."

"Pikachu!" The electric mouse unleashed a victory pose.

"I look back on that day and I am thrilled that I was late that day." Ash smiled down at Pikachu, "By being late, I gained the greatest friend that I ever had."

Brendan grinned, he hoped that he and his starting Pokémon formed a bond like the one that Ash and Pikachu had.

"So what brings you to the Hoenn region?" Brendan asked him.

"I came here to compete in the Hoenn League!" Ash said passionately, "I've travelled through Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto and now I want to battle in Hoenn. Not to mention all of the sights to see and Pokémon to discover and befriend."

"How did you go in the previous tournaments?" Brendan asked him eagerly.

"I finished in the top 16 in the Indigo Plateau, I won the Orange League and I finished in the top 8 in the Silver Conference." Ash informed him.

Brendan whistled impressed, "That's awesome! I definitely can't wait to battle you in the Ever Grande Conference!"

"The Ever Grande Conference?" Ash murmured, "Is that the Hoenn Championships?"

"That's right! It's the tournament when trainers have got all eight badges!" Brendan said with clear excitement in his voice.

The conversation between Ash and Brendan was cut short when May and Professor Birch came into view. May stopped her bike a few feet from them and she rested it against the wall of the laboratory. Ash and Brendan's attention was momentarily on her rather developed chest before they looked towards the professor, who was panting quite heavily.

"You're late!" Brendan scolded his father, "I've been waiting for ages! How many times have I told you to set up an alarm whenever you go out to learn in the field?!"

"Quite a few times, I recall." Professor Birch said sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I just get so excited that tend to forget things like that."

"Whatever." Brendan smiled fondly, "Just give me my Pokémon, please! I want to finally start my journey!"

"Okay, okay, but first," Professor Birch looked over at the trainer that he had never seen before, "who might you be, young man?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town." Ash introduced himself for the second time today.

Professor Birch's eyes lit up, "So you're the boy that Professor Oak was going on about," The professor's eyes then travelled towards Pikachu, "and this must be Pikachu." Professor Birch approached Pikachu and he gently petted Pikachu under his chin.

"Chu..." Pikachu murmured in delight.

"Professor Oak told you about me?" Ash asked surprised.

May looked on from the side and she observed the two boys before her. She had to admit that she thought that they were kind of cute but the boy with that weird hat really needed to get rid of it. The hat was not good to look at. However she paid more attention to the little electric Pokémon that was getting petted by Professor Birch. Despite her dislike for Pokémon, she couldn't help but find the little Pikachu adorable.

Professor Birch ceased his actions on Pikachu and he looked back at the trainer from Pallet Town, "Yes, he rang me up last night and he told me that you were coming here. He went on about you all night."

"I'll have to talk to him about that." Ash muttered in slight embarrassment.

"Dad!" Brendan whined, "You can talk about this later after you have given me my Pokémon!"

Professor Birch sighed at his impatience. Ash couldn't help but grin. He didn't doubt that he would've been like that 3 years ago. He glanced at the girl standing a few feet away and Ash's curiosity got the best of him.

"Hello." Ash told her politely, "I'm Ash, who are you?"

"I'm May." The girl replied with a small smile.

"Are you here for your first Pokémon?" Ash questioned her with interest.

May held up her Poké Ball, "I got it a few minutes ago."

"Which one did you pick?" Ash couldn't help but ask her.

May smiled and she released her Torchic and Pikachu quickly scurried over when he saw it and the two of them immediately hit it off and began to play with each other.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex with interest and he scanned the Pokémon, "Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. It has a flame sac inside its belly that perpetually burns. It feels warm if it is hugged."

"Torchic, huh?" Ash grinned, "So this is the pre-evolved form of Blaziken." After his battle with Harrison, Ash had studied Blaziken as hard as he could so he would be better prepare the next time he faced one. He wondered for a moment if this is what Gary had been talking about. He didn't do the research before the match; he had just believed that his Charizard would be able to win.

May just nodded, she had no idea what a Blaziken was, after all.

Professor Birch released the remaining two Hoenn starting Pokémon which caught Ash's interest and he quickly scanned the two Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Mudkip uses the sensitive fin on its head to take radar readings of its surroundings."

"Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. Treecko are able to climb smooth vertical walls and use their thick tail to attack opponents. Since Treecko build their nests in large trees it is said that those trees will live a very long life."

Treecko was the Pokémon that really caught Ash's attention. He saw it look at Brendan with an indifferent look for a moment before giving him the same one. Ash had to admit, with the indifferent stance and the twig in its mouth, the Grass Pokémon just screamed cool. Ash believed that it was a really strong and proud kind of Pokémon.

"I'll choose Mudkip." Brendan smiled at the water Pokémon. Mudkip grinned up at him in happiness. Brendan knew from that he was going to pick Mudkip from the get go. He had bonded somewhat with Torchic and the previous Treecko but he got along best with Mudkip. Speaking of Treecko, Brendan glanced at the one that his father had just caught a few days ago. Brendan didn't envy the trainer that picked up that Pokémon; it was a mean, proud and stubborn one.

"Okay now that is settled," Professor Birch declared after he handed Mudkip's Poké Ball over to his son, "I can give you and May your Pokédex."

He handed May and Brendan each a red Pokédex, "This device is kind of like a high-tech field guide, where data of Pokémon caught is written automatically."

"Thanks, dad."

"Thank you, Professor."

"It was nice meeting you," Brendan quickly said to May, even though they technically hadn't been introduced, "but I have to go. Nice meeting you too Ash! Bye dad!" With that, Brendan quickly ran home where his bike was so he could head out on his journey.

"That was rude." May puffed out her cheeks angrily. She decided that he wasn't cute at all.

"Sorry about him, he is just too excited to think about his manners." Professor Birch chuckled slightly.

Ash grinned but he was suddenly hit in the stomach by Treecko's tail and he fell painfully to the ground. He held his stomach tightly, and coughed up some saliva. The blow had knocked the air out of him.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled out angrily, "Pikachu pi pika!"

May and Torchic both took a few steps back fearfully and Treecko glanced at Pikachu before looking towards the confused and pained Ash. He couldn't hold back the smirk from appearing on his face. Professor Birch surprisingly didn't say anything and he just watched with interest.

"I see," Ash smirked back, getting to his feet. The pain had started to subside. "You want a battle, don't you?"

Treecko nodded and he turned towards Pikachu and he raised his fists in preparation for the electric mouse's first attack.

"Go Pikachu! Quick Attack!"

Pikachu shot towards Treecko at an incredible speed, much faster than what Treecko had been expecting, and Pikachu slammed his body into Treecko's chest. May and Professor Birch were startled by the speed of the attack. May had even lost sight of the Pikachu for a moment. The grass Hoenn Starter Pokémon crashed painfully into the ground, and he struggled to get back to his feet. It felt like a rocket had just been shot into his chest. It was clear to Ash, and Pikachu, that there was a large gap in strength and speed between the two Pokémon. That was to be expected, Treecko was for beginning trainers after all while Pikachu had years of experience from travelling and training with him. Treecko then tried to hit Pikachu several times with his tail but the electric mouse was far too agile for the Grass Pokémon to land a hit. Judging by the smile on his face, while he constantly jumped or dodged the thick tail, Pikachu clearly enjoyed toying with Treecko.

May looked on with more interest than what she thought she would have and she was amazed at the change in Pikachu. Just moments ago it seemed to be a cute and lovable Pokémon but now it was tough and an amazing battler.

Faster than Treecko could anticipate, Pikachu shot at him, faster than a bullet, it seemed, and rammed him painfully under the chin, sending crashing towards May's bike.

"Use Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

Pikachu unleashed a large wave of electricity from his cheeks towards Treecko. It wasn't at full power, since Pikachu didn't want to hurt Treecko too badly, but Treecko was just able to dodge it. Unfortunately the electric attack went on to hit May's bike and deep fried it.

"My bike!" May screamed.

"You have got to be kidding me." Ash groaned, 'I hope she isn't like Misty when it comes to her bike.'

"Pikachu, finish this up with another Quick Attack!" Ash quickly ordered his Pokémon.

Treecko futilely tried to raise a defence, but Pikachu moved far too quickly and this time when Pikachu slammed his body into Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon didn't get back up.

"You did really well." Professor Birch declared, "It was to be expected, of course. You have a strong Pikachu there Ash, just like Professor Oak told me. Also it is hard to believe that it didn't obey you at the beginning."

"The professor told you about that?" Ash asked him in confusion.

"Wait! Pokémon can disobey their trainers?" May piped up.

"Of course they can," Ash told her, "they aren't robots, you know."

"Pokémon have feelings, their own dreams and their own desires. We are still trying to understand the different mysteries about Pokémon, from their feelings to their histories and the hidden legends." Professor Birch explained to May, "I didn't stop your battle with Treecko because of what I learned from Professor Oak about you. For you to get a starter that didn't obey you and then for you to gain its trust in a day, that takes some real skill to do.

I want you to take Treecko with you and when you battled it, you proved that you were strong enough to Treecko to take it." Professor Birch explained to him, "You see, I caught Treecko on Route 104 a few days ago. It was trying to protect a very old and large tree by itself after the rest of the Treecko had abandoned it. Unfortunately, after I spent a couple of days studying the behaviour of Treecko, the tree died when it suddenly split in two. Treecko desperately tried to fix it and Treecko went days without food in a desperate attempt to heal it but eventually Treecko collapsed in exhaustion. I had to catch it and after a trip to a Pokémon centre, I brought it back here. However it is angry and it didn't want to accept any of my help. I had hoped to give it to a trainer that would be able to break it out of its anger and bitterness but I knew that no beginning trainer would be able to do that."

"Wait a minute!" May cut him off, "If that's the case why did you give me and your son the option of picking him?!"

"I knew that Brendan wouldn't pick him," Professor Birch shrugged, "and if you had picked him, then I would have told you that you would have to wait until I could give you a different Treecko."

"So it really was just a choice between Torchic and Mudkip." May said dully.

"Pretty much." Professor Birch chuckled before he turned his attention back to Ash, "I told Professor Oak about the trouble I was having with Treecko and that is when he told me about you and Pikachu. So I know that you are the perfect person for the job."

"That sounds fine," Ash grinned at him, "I promise that I will help Treecko get over his anger and bitterness!"

Professor Birch smiled and he handed Treecko's Poké Ball over to Ash. The trainer from Pallet returned the unconscious Treecko back to its Poké Ball.

"Treecko isn't hurt too badly." Professor Birch told him and he pulled out a small bottle that said 'Potion' on the label, "Just spray it with this and let it rest for a while and Treecko will be as good as new."

"Thanks Professor." Ash said gratefully.

"Oh and May, before I forget," Professor Birch remembered and he pulled out six empty Poké Balls from his bag, "take these, May. These are your Poké Balls that allow you to capture wild Pokémon."

"Thank you, Professor Birch." May said appreciatively and she put them into her bag.

"Did you remember to give Brendan some Poké Balls?" Ash asked the Professor.

"No I didn't need to. He has a collection of Poké Balls he can use at home. Now you two will have to head to the nearest Pokémon centre that you can find in order to register for the Hoenn League." Professor Birch explained to them. "I believe the closest one is in Oldale Town."

"Okay, thanks." Ash told him.

"Ah!" May sighed loudly and she brought her hands up and rested them on the back of her head, "Walking all that way makes me nervous and my bike was destroyed," May then gave Ash a quick glare, "thanks to your Pikachu." Ash and Pikachu grimaced, "There must be a solution," May pondered, "a way to get to Oldale Town safely on foot... Hey! Why don't we go together? I happen to know the way there. Really Ash, it is no trouble really, shall we?"

"Pika!"

"Well, okay. We'll go together." Ash agreed.

May quickly turned her back to him and with a triumphant grin, she whispered, "Yes!"

Ash and Pikachu just looked confused at her behaviour.

"That is a good idea. You can look out for one another." Professor Birch concurred. "You all be careful out there."

"Don't worry, we will be. Thanks a lot." Ash assured him.

"Pika!"

"See you soon!" May waved to Professor Birch before they headed off.

End of Chapter

If you like it then please review it. If you don't like it then don't read it.

Okay in this chapter we got moments where Ash started to notice girls differently. I honestly didn't know how to write a way for Ash to notice girls and to stay in character. After all, he has only actually showed interest in one girl and that was when he saw the picture of Giselle back in the early episodes of season 1. So I just used a personal experience of my own when I first started to notice girls. I hope it was acceptable.

Wow 18 likes 18 favorites and 2 reviews. Feeling so happy right now.

Now To answer the reviews,

Advanceshipper (Guest): Yes Advanceshipping Moment's Will Happen But You Have To Wait. I want To Develop Their Character's So They can help & support each other.

Anonymous Reviewer (Guest):Yes I copied someone's work but has any of them ever updated.

Agoge:Glad You liked the chapter.

Tigershark431: Don't Worry I will keep on updating.


	3. Becoming A Mentor

Chapter 3: Becoming a Mentor

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

Stone Badge arc – Chapter 3 – Becoming a Mentor

Ash was starting to think that he was becoming a bad person.

It had been around mid morning when he and Pikachu set out for Oldale Town with their new friend, May. According to her, they should reach Oldale Town by sunset if they kept up a decent pace. Ash had released Treecko from his Poké Ball and he used the potion to heal the Grass Pokémon's injuries. When they stopped for lunch, Treecko was much more content to sit up on a branch on his own and at first Ash thought he was just preferred to be alone. However, according to his Pokédex, Treeckos liked sitting high up on tree branches, so Ash also took that under consideration.

It wasn't the slight problems that he had with Treecko that made him think that he was a bad person, no; it was something to do with May. There were a few times where his eyes would wander to her ample chest and his face would heat up slightly. Also there were a couple of times that he had deliberately slowed his walk so he could get a glimpse of her backside. He really was a terrible person. He thought about calling his mom and telling her about this but he felt ashamed to do so and embarrassed. Ash resolved to ask Brock about this, if there was anyone that could understand what he was doing, it was Brock. Unknown to the young trainer from Pallet Town, May was doing the exact same thing to him.

"Hey, Ash can I ask you something that's been on my mind for a while?" May asked him.

Ash looked back slightly; May was only trailing behind him by a few feet. Pikachu was slightly ahead of them both and he was eagerly checking out the trees and bushes.

"Go ahead." Ash easily answered.

"I thought all Pokémon stayed inside of their Poké Balls, so why doesn't Pikachu?"

Ash smiled at her, "You'll find out throughout your journey that you will come across a lot of Pokémon with different personalities. Pikachu is one of the few Pokémon that I have seen that detests being in a Poké Ball and so I am happy for him to always stay out and remain with me."

And also ever since I have received him we became pretty much inseparable so no worries.

"That's amazing!" May said in awe and she pulled out her Poké Ball that contained her Torchic, "I haven't had any problems with my Torchic yet. Come to think of it, I don't really know anything about this Torchic."

"Why don't you check it out with your Pokédex? That will give you some basic information about Torchic." Ash recommended.

May frowned at him, "I already heard your Pokédex give you information about Torchic."

"Since I don't actually own Torchic, I was only given the basic information about it." Ash informed her, "However since you own that Torchic, your Pokédex has much more detailed information about it."

"What kind of information?" May questioned him curiously.

"Check it out for yourself. You will learn a lot more discovering things yourself than me giving you all the answers. I've had to learn that the hard way over the last few years." Ash pointed out.

May pulled out her Pokédex and she looked up her Torchic's information.

"Her moves are Peck, Growl and Ember and she has an ability known as Blaze." May read out loud before she lowered the gadget and she looked at Ash curiously, "What is Blaze?"

"It's a move that powers up the Fire type attacks of your Torchic." Ash replied, "It should have more information about Blaze in your Pokédex but from what I understand, a Pokémon can only activate Blaze is certain situations."

"That sounds neat!" May smiled widely however her attention to her Pokédex died quickly after she noticed a small Pokémon run onto the dirt path. Ash looked at the Pokémon with curiosity and Pikachu quickly stepped in front of Ash and he prepared to battle. The Pokémon that stood in front of them is a round, blue mouse Pokémon. Its thin, black, zigzagging tail has a large blue ball at the end. There are two white dots on its cheeks, and it has black eyes.

May used her Pokédex to scan it, "Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokémon; Azurill is able to throw its tail like a lasso, using the momentum to move about."

"It's so cute! I want it!" May declared passionately.

"Then try and catch it." Ash suggested.

"Okay," May grinned in excitement, "I'll just grab me a Poké Ball and throw it!" Ash's eyes widened when May simply threw an empty Poké Ball at the Azurill. The Polka Dot Pokémon was sucked into the Poké Ball and May cheered at the success of catching her first Pokémon.

'Perhaps this won't be as hard as I thought it would be.' May thought happily, "Oh yeah! I caught my first Pokémon!"

Ash just frowned and watched with his arms folded across his chest as the Azurill broke out of the Poké Ball.

"Hey!" May protested, "What gives?!"

"You're not going to catch anything that way, May." Ash informed her with a hint of fondness in his voice. He couldn't help but think back to when he first started his journey and the first couple of attempts to catch a Pokémon. He used to think back on this with embarrassment but now he realised that he wasn't the only one that didn't really know what he was doing when he first started.

"What do you mean?!" May snapped at him, "I threw a Poké Ball at it, didn't I?!"

"You only throw your Poké Ball after you battle and weaken the Pokémon." Ash lectured her calmly.

"I see... then it is time for a Pokémon battle!" May declared and she quickly released Torchic from the confines of her Poké Ball, "Now what were those attacks again?" May mused out loud.

Torchic didn't wait for May's order and she took it upon herself to charge towards the water Pokémon. The Azurill simply bounced out of the way and Torchic ran straight into a tree.

"Torchic!" May shouted worriedly.

Torchic brushed off the pain and she determinedly ran after the Azurill and May quickly followed.

"Was I this bad, Pikachu?" Ash couldn't help question his beloved starter.

"Pika, pika." Pikachu nodded sympathetically.

"I suppose we should go after her." Ash decided and he hurried after his new companion. Pikachu was right on his shoulder.

I was about to remind you, May. You need to battle the Pokemon first before you try to catch it." Ash explained: he had actually made the same mistake himself and he wanted to make sure that May didn't end up in the same position that he did.

"Oh, that's right. Thanks for reminding me. It's time for my first Pokemon battle!" May replied. She grabbed the Pokeball Torchic was in and threw it. "Let's go, Torchic!" May called. The Pokeball opened and Torchic came out, and then she jumped up into the air as if she was glad to be out of the Pokeball. As May was trying to remember what Torchic's attacks were since she was looking them up earlier, Azurill started to bounce away on its tail and Torchic gave chase. Coming to a tree, Azurill leapt away while Torchic ran into the tree.

"Torchic, are you okay?" May asked. Torchic jumped up on her feet, evidently unhurt by that head-first impact and quickly ran after Azurill as it bounced away using its tail to help it move faster. "Torchic, slow down! Wait for me!" May called as she and Ash quickly rushed after the two Pokemon.

Azurill bounced back and forth in between bushes while Torchic followed in hot pursuit. The two small Pokemon soon came to a small cliff face and Azurill stopped short before bouncing out of the way while Torchic ran head-first into it, leaving her eyes in the shape of swirls and bruises on her face. Since she and Ash now caught up, May bent down and picked up Torchic. "Torchic, don't do anything until I tell you to, okay?" May asked. Torchic looked up at May with her eyes having gone big and watering up, causing May to show an expression of worry. "Torchic, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" she asked, not wanting to see Torchic get upset.

"May, if you don't hurry, Azurill will get away!" Ash said. May then looked up to see Azurill standing there in front of a tree, having stopped bouncing around. Torchic then jumped out of May's arms and ran over, ready to actually start battling with this little runaway.

"All right. Torchic, use Peck!" May called: she was actually able to remember one of Torchic's moves before coming across Azurill. Torchic then leapt forward to start attacking, but Azurill jumped out of the way leaving Torchic to peck rapidly at the tree. "Torchic, Azurill's over there!" May said. Torchic turned her head to see Azurill bouncing away and quickly started to run after it. "Oh, not again. Torchic, come back!" May said as she and Ash gave chase after them. Azurill was hopping away while Torchic gave chase after it. Torchic then leapt out from behind a bush and shot out small blasts of fire from her beak, after which she could suddenly hear Azurill's cries from behind the bush up ahead. Torchic then happily smiled hearing this and ran over to find Azurill lying on the ground knocked out. As Torchic was looking at the downed Water Ball Pokemon, Ash and May both arrived and noticed this as well.

"May, now's your chance to catch Azurill." Ash said. Hearing this, May quickly grabbed out an empty Pokeball from her bag.

"Pokeball, go!" May yelled out before throwing it. The Pokeball bounced off Azurill's head and opened up, causing Azurill to go inside in a bright red light. After that, the Pokeball closed and dropped down on the ground shaking rapidly while its centre blinked red. Ash and May watched on anxiously while Torchic was just wondering what was going on. After a few seconds, the Pokeball stopped shaking and the centre stopped blinking: that meant that May's catch was successful. May stared in disbelief wondering if she was really seeing this while Ash brightly smiled, happy for May.

"May, you did it! You caught your first Pokemon!" Ash cheered. "(Great job!)" Pikachu added.

May slowly walked over and picked up the Pokeball, staring at it for a few moments still unable to register the fact that she actually succeeded in catching a Pokemon. "You're right..." she said to herself, realising that Ash wasn't kidding: she actually pulled it off. A little later, May opened the Pokeball to let Azurill out. Azurill bounced to look around for a few moments before she looked up at Ash and May. The little Pokemon and May stared at each other in silence, uncertain of what to do first.

"May, aren't you going to say hello?" Ash asked noticing May staring blankly at Azurill, which caused her to turned her glance to him. "Well, I would, but...I really don't have any idea on what to say. How am I supposed to talk to a Pokemon I just caught?" May asked in response.

"How about I give it a try first?" Ash suggested. With that he walked over to Azurill and bent down so he was close to her height while Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder, and Azurill bounced in Ash's direction and looked up at him. "Hi there. Nice to meet you, Azurill." Ash said. Azurill then bounced backwards and started shaking in fear: it seemed that she was a bit frightened by Ash. Ash looked at Azurill in surprise before he gently smiled. "It's okay, Azurill. You don't need to be scared. I won't hurt you, I promise." Ash softly explained. Azurill hopped forward a little bit hearing Ash's words and, seeing that he didn't mean any harm to her, brightly smiled before bouncing over. "Now that's more like it. My name's Ash and this is my friend, Pikachu." Ash said, turning to Pikachu who happily ran over to meet Azurill.

"(Pikachu Pika Pikapi.)" Pikachu said. "(Azuril Azu.)" Azurill replied, her smile growing bigger now that she felt more relaxed and confident.

May was watching this all the while, and she had to admit that she was impressed by Ash's successful efforts of befriending the new arrival on the team. "Ash really knows what he's doing." she commented, and she couldn't help but wonder if Ash had done things like this before since he seemed to be fully aware of what he was doing. She then walked over to see Azurill and bent down so she was close to the little Pokemon's height. "Hi there, Azurill. I'm May." May said. Azurill looked up at May and then shot a small blast of water from her mouth at May's face. After Azurill stopped, May was soaked; this was now the second time that she had been hit by a water type attack. May immediately shook herself off and glared at Azurill. "What did you do that for?! I didn't ask you for an attack!" she snapped. Azurill jumped back from fright at May's outburst and then she looked down with tears building up in her eyes.

"May, you're scaring Azurill. I think it was just trying to say hello to you." Ash said. May's frown faded upon hearing this and then she looked back down at Azurill who was about ready to start crying. Realising that she shouldn't have responded that way, May showed a small smile and bent back down to Azurill's height. "I'm sorry for yelling at you like that, Azurill. It's just that I'm not very comfortable towards Pokemon at the moment, so I might take a while to get used to them. You're not upset at me, are you?" May asked, gently stroking Azurill's head to try and calm her down. Azurill happily smiled as if she was saying that she wasn't upset at May for her outburst and then happily jumped into May's arms. "Well, that's good to know. You need to go back into your Pokeball now." May commented as she grabbed Azurill's Pokeball out of her bag and held it up to put Azurill back in. But Azurill jumped out of May's arms and landed safely on the ground before starting to bounce off ahead. "Now what's gotten into you, Azurill?" May asked, placing her arms on her hips in puzzlement.

"I think Azurill wants to stay outside and be with you for a little." Ash suggested. Hearing that comment, May looked down at Azurill to figure out if that was true. Azurill happily smiled and nodded in agreement before bouncing up in the air a few times using her tail to help her. May lowered her head to think for a few moments before she smiled and nodded.

"Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with that. You can stay out for a little. Just make you stay with us, okay?" May asked, bending down to Azurill. Azurill happily smiled and nodded in agreement. Sometime later, Ash and May continued their way down the road with Azurill bouncing alongside them. The two looked down at the Water Ball Pokemon that was hopping beside them. "Azurill sure is cute, huh?" May asked.

"Yeah." Ash agreed nodding. He then turned his head to May and found that he wasn't able to take his eyes off her; he wasn't sure what it was or why he was acting like this, but it was as if she had caught his attention. After a few moments, May turned her head to Ash and happily smiled at him and he couldn't help smiling back. This was almost like what happened when they met on the route leading to Littleroot Town: it was only the two of them and no one was there to interrupt them. In fact, Ash didn't even notice Pikachu staring at the two with a smile on his face, like he was noticing that something was up as well

Pokémon Centre – 6:00pm

Like Ash had thought, Torchic and azurii's injuries weren't serious and Nurse Joy informed them that all the both Pokémon needed was a good night's sleep. Earlier when they had been running to the Pokémon Centre in Oldale Town, they ran into an archaeologist, Professor Alden outside of the Oldale Ruins. He was the one that guided them to the Pokémon Centre in Oldale Town.

With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash intended to do something that he had never really done before and that was to go talk to the other trainers. In his previous journey's, he just stuck with Brock and Misty but now he had to start mixing it up with some other trainers. Thinking that he could just catch wild Pokémon and training them up wasn't going to be sufficient to win a league, he understood that now. So, he was far more open to the prospect of trading Pokémon. Perhaps that is why Gary caught so many Pokémon, even the ones that he already had, in order to trade them for Pokémon that he couldn't find. If that was the case, then right now the only Pokémon that he was open to trading were his Tauros. Although he was more open to the idea of trading Pokémon, he wasn't sure if he had it in him to simply catch a Pokémon for the purpose of trading it later. All of the Pokémon that he had caught, with the exception of the 29 extra Tauros, he had bonded with them. He only caught the other Tauros because for some strange reason they would intercept every Safari Ball that he threw at another Pokémon.

"Hey, Ash?"

Ash turned around to see his new brunette haired friend with her hands behind her back and she looked at him with a curious look on her face, "Yeah, what's up?" he asked her.

"I was thinking... now that I am in a Pokémon Centre, will you show me around?"

"Yeah, of course," Ash answered her, he could go converse with the other trainers a little later, "but I need to make a call first."

A few seconds later, Ash sat on a chair in front of a video phone with May peering over his shoulder. "Hey, Professor Oak," Ash greeted the old professor when he appeared on screen, "I'm just letting you know that I have made it to Oldale Town."

"That's wonderful, Ash." The professor smiled pleasantly at the young trainer, "Have you managed to catch any new Pokémon over there in Hoenn?"

"Technically," Ash admitted delicately, "I got a Treecko that Professor Birch had already captured after it challenged me and Pikachu to a battle."

"Sounds interesting," Professor Oak noted with interest, "I'd love the chance to study a Treecko; I don't know much about them after all."

Ash nodded, "I'll send him to you at some point. Also I have registered for the Hoenn league, so I'm ready to go and psyched for my first badge."

"It sounds like it's going to be another big adventure for you, young man."

"That's right," May shoved a disgruntled Ash aside with a large grin on her face, "we haven't met yet but I'm May!"

"Hello there, May." The professor acknowledged her, "I'm Professor Samuel Oak from Pallet Town."

"I know who you are!" May surprised him, "My brother never misses any of your radio lectures and when I tell him that I have actually been talking to you, he will be so jealous!"

"Wow, how nice..." The professor didn't really know what to say to that.

"I know I am just a beginning Pokémon Trainer but I promise you, I will work hard!" May firmly informed him.

"Well, May, with Ash by your side, you should do quite well." Professor Oak replied, "I wish you both a safe and successful journey."

"Thanks!" the two trainers said in unison before the call ended.

"Okay, let's go." Ash stood up, "I'll show you around."

The first place he showed her was the bedrooms, which consisted of two bunk beds, and then he led her to the lobby. The lobby was mainly open space, with long grey couches spread out throughout the room and there were also several computers for trainers to use. There was even a Pokémon Transfer machine. There were quite a few people in the room currently.

"This is the lobby," Ash explained, "this is where the trainers staying here share information."

"Really?!" May gasped happily, "You mean like where the best malls are, where the best places to eat are, where the best clothing stores are and other things like that?!"

"Not exactly. It is mainly stuff to do with Pokémon. They can also trade Pokémon with each other or agree to battle each other here." Ash informed her.

"I heard that there is a new Gym Leader over at the Petalburg Gym!" One of the trainers said loudly, and Ash and May couldn't help but overhear.

"Hey!" Ash hurried over to the three people that were talking, "Can you tell me who the new Gym Leader is?!"

Ash never got to know the answer just yet as May had hurried over to him and she pulled him away, exclaiming that she was starving. Ash conceded to her for now and they headed off to the cafeteria.

The Next Morning – 8:00am

It had been quite the ordeal last night, Ash thought after he finished getting ready. During dinner last night, they had met Professor Alden again and he had shown them what he had been working on at the Oldale Ruins. He was searching for some ancient Pokémon that he believed were still in the ruins someplace. Unfortunately the nice evening ended when the Pokémon Centre was taken over by a group of people that went by the name Team Magma. They were after Professor Alden in order to get into the ruins and unfortunately Ash couldn't stop them since he didn't want to risk battling inside the Pokémon Centre.

In the end, Team Magma had cut the power to the centre and Ash, May and Nurse Joy was locked in the storage room. They had also cut the power so they were all quite worried about the sick Pokémon. Fortunately they were able to find a vent that they could crawl through and once they were free, Ash went to find the master key to unlock the storage room and May put the power back on. With the Pokémon Centre safe, Ash and May hurried towards the Oldale Ruins where Team Magma had taken Alden to. However they discover that Team Magma had already left after finding nothing and they had abandoned the orbs that they had obtained for the Oldale Ruins after having no more use for them. Alden reveals that he duped Team Magma and he used the orbs to discover the location of the ancient Pokémon, Relicanth. Ash resisted the urge to capture one in respect towards Professor Alden.

'Another organisation up to no good.' Ash thought in aggravation. It seemed that there were these organisations in every region. Nurse Joy had told him all she knew about Team Magma which wasn't much but Ash knew that he would have to be wary of them. The young trainer from Pallet Town looked across the room to where May slept. She slept on the top of the other bunk bed and Ash could see that she was still sound asleep, with a bit of drool leaking out of her mouth. Ash figured that she must really find the bed comfortable.

Seeing that his trainer was up and ready, Pikachu happily jumped onto his shoulder and they left the room quietly. Ash headed off towards the lobby and was delighted to see that it was quite busy. There were at least eight people in the room.

"You wanted to know about the Gym Leader last night, right?" A pretty girl with long dark hair asked him after he entered the lobby. Ash could tell that she was a couple of years older than him, she wore a yellow shirt and a blue skirt, and Ash swiftly noticed that her chest was roughly the same size as May's.

Ash blinked in confusion for a moment before he realised that she was one of the people that he tried to talk to last night, "That's right."

"He goes by the name of Norman," The girl informed him kindly, "he is a very strong trainer that is rumoured to almost be Elite Four level."

"That strong?!" Ash gaped with wide eyes. He would have to avoid battling that Gym Leader right now, although he would have to pass through Petalburg, so maybe he could battle this Norman strictly to test how strong he was.

"I take it you're a Pokémon Trainer," The girl asked him and Ash nodded, "I would advise against battling him until you have at least four badges."

"Thanks for the advice." Ash said gratefully.

"Now I have a question for you." The girl asked him quickly.

"Go ahead." Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have any large and powerful Pokémon that is capable of moving heavy objects?"

Ash thought of Charizard, Pidgeot, Snorlax and his thirty Tauros. "Yeah, I have a few." Judging by the happy look that suddenly appeared on her face, Ash assumed that she liked the answer, but he didn't understand why.

Just then a sad looking blonde hair teen boy, roughly the same age as the girl Ash was talking to, approached her and he said, "Did you have any luck, Amy?"

"Yeah, I did!" Amy told him happily. "This boy can help you!"

"Help with what?"

"Pika?" The electric mouse tilted his head in confusion.

"My name is Charles, a former Pokémon Trainer." The boy introduced himself unhappily, "To make a long story short, my father runs a farm that has been in our family for generations and he is come down with a severe illness. I need to quit my journey and go run the farm but I need to find some strong and big Pokémon that can help me out. Unfortunately I haven't been a trainer for very long and I haven't been able to catch any uncommon Pokémon that people are interested in trading with. All I have is an Electrike and Poochyena left to trade but since they are pretty easy to find and catch, nobody will trade for them. I don't suppose you might be interested?" The boy looked at him with a light hopeful expression, but Ash could see that he was already ready for the rejection.

Naturally Ash's first instinct was to reject the offer especially hearing that the two Pokémon on offer were easy to find but he couldn't help but sympathise with the boy. He knew that if his mother came down with a severe illness, he would quit his journey immediately and head home to help look after her. Although he knew that this might just be a trick in order to gain stronger Pokémon but fortunately for Ash, he wouldn't really lose anything if he agreed.

"For all I know, you are simply making this up in order to gain stronger Pokémon." Ash replied bluntly, folding his arms across his chest.

Charles sighed miserably and his shoulders slumped slightly, "Yeah, I know. Many people have told me that."

"The good thing for you is that I have thirty Tauros and so even if you are cheating me, it won't have a huge impact." Ash smirked at him and the boy brightened. "Is two Tauros acceptable for those Pokémon?"

"Yes, thank you!" Charles bowed gratefully, a large smile on his face. "I'll go get my Pokémon from Nurse Joy."

Ash nodded, "I have to get my Tauros transferred over to here." Ash watched the teen boy run off to find Nurse Joy.

"Thank you, it really means a lot to him. I know we don't know each other but I promise you that he is telling the truth." Amy told Ash sincerely.

"Don't mention it," Ash shrugged, "I need a more variety of Pokémon anyway and this will save me time searching for those two specific Pokémon." The young trainer from Pallet had decided that these two Pokémon would be useful pickups. Ash and Pikachu had discussed catching another Electric type Pokémon as Ash relied too much on Pikachu. When they are in the Pokémon League, his opposition can easily come up with a strategy to counter Pikachu, as they didn't have to worry about any other Electric types plus he wanted to use Pikachu as little as possible in his Gym battles. As for Poochyena, he didn't have a Dark type Pokémon and he thought that it would be a good place to start.

"How old are you?" Amy suddenly asked him, "12, 13?"

"I'm 13 years old." Ash answered her confused at the sudden question.

"Let me give you some advice," Amy smiled at him mischievously, "If you want to avoid offending girls and risk getting slapped, don't check out their breasts when they are talking to you." Amy gave him a wink before leaving the room.

Ash blushed furiously in embarrassment whilst Pikachu sniggered on his shoulder.

End of Chapter

If you like it, then review it. If you don't like it, then don't read it.

Now onto The reviews.

Anonymous Reviewer (Fox): Yes he will get a Bagon.

Team ultrasun: Yes Ash Will get non-canon Pokemon. If you have noticed I already am starting to give May and Ash Non-Canon of course all of his Canon Pokemon here in Hoenn.

Dr1zzy:Gee 's been 5 years since I have come back in yes it also annoyed me of how Ash never evolved his older Pokemon I.e squirtle totodile etc. Yep Ash Will be serious and he will train all his Pokemon.

Anonymous Guest:Seriously Guys get an account yes Ash Will Compete in Pokemon contests mainly to support May but also to use/showcase the combo moves. He Won't compete in all the contests to be honest only a few like terracotta contest and others.


	4. On the way to Route 101

Chapter 3: Destination 102

Friends to Lovers

Chapter 3: Destination 102

Ash and May were continuing their trek on the path leading to Petalburg City where Ash was going for his first Gym Badge in Hoenn. As the two were walking, they glanced up to see that there was a white sign beside the path with the words 'Route 102' printed on it in blue paint. "Guess we must be headed in the right direction: it shouldn't be too long until we get to Petalburg City. You ready for that first Gym battle, Pikachu?" Ash asked, turning to his partner on his shoulder. "(I sure am!)" Pikachu replied with a bright smile; he had just as much anticipation to get that first Gym Badge as Ash did. Ash then started to continue off ahead while May was still staring up at the sign: the route they were on was undoubtedly the route to Petalburg City, and that meant that Ash was soon going to find out who the Gym Leader was. She then looked away to find that Ash had already gone off ahead, so she immediately rushed forward to catch up with him.

"Hey Ash, hold on a second!" May called. Ash stopped in his tracks and turned around to see May stop short having just caught up with him. "May, what's up? How come you were just standing there?" Ash asked. May bent down, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath before she looked up at Ash and stood upright.

"Well, I was just wondering. You're heading for the Gym battle, right?" May asked. Ash nodded in agreement with an expression of puzzlement on his face, like he was wondering what May was getting at. "Well, don't you think it would be a good idea to really make sure that your Pokemon are ready for the battle? You wouldn't want to be caught off guard when you get out there, right?" May suggested. Ash stared in silence for a few moments trying to figure out what May was saying, before he smiled as it made sense to him.

"You mean as in training?" he asked. May promptly nodded in agreement. "May, that's a great idea! Then we'll both ready when we arrive in Petalburg City. Good thing you thought of it." Ash commented, showing May a thumbs-up. May brightly smiled and nodded once: she was glad that she thought of it as well.

Back with Ash and May, they were both sending out the Pokemon they had. "Larvitar,Poochyena,Electrike,Treecko,Pidgeot come on out!" Ash said, throwing out the Pokeballs Larvitar Treecko and Pidgeot was in, causing it to open and release the little Rock Skin Pokemon,The Wood Gecko Pokemon and the Avian Pokemon to be just stared at Ash While Pidgeot gave Ash a chirp of acknowledgment And Larvitar happily flailing his arms around with a big smile on his face.

"Torchic, Azurill, let's go!" May added, throwing both Pokeballs with her Pokemon inside into the air, causing them to both open and release Torchic and Azurill who landed safely on the ground beside Larvitar. Torchic rapidly shook her feathers and then opened her eyes, while Azurill bounced up once into the air and then dropped on the ground. Pikachu then jumped off Ash's shoulder and stood beside the others. Once they knew all their Pokemon were out and showing their undivided attention, Ash and May bent down to their height.

"All right, everyone, we're almost at Petalburg City. But first we're going to do some training so we'll be ready for that first Gym battle. So let's give it everything we've got!" Ash explained. The group of Pokemon started to cheer, with Pikachu lifting both his fists up in the air in excitement, Larvitar happily clapping before his smile was replaced with an expression of confusion and he tilted his head wondering what was happening and Torchic and Azurill jumping up into the air with bright smiles on their faces. Seeing that everyone was ready to start training, Ash and May stood up properly and turned to each other. "So, May, how do you think we should do this training?" Ash asked.

May looked down to think pressing one finger under her chin. After about a few seconds to give it some thought, May immediately snapped her fingers as a bright smile crossed her face. "I know! How about we split up?" she suggested. She then pointed to the left of them. "You can go that way, and I'll head down this way." May explained as she then pointed to her right showing Ash which direction they would go: he would go to the left while she went to the right. Ash had a look in both directions May was pointing to and then turned to her with an expression of concern on his face.

"Are you sure? Will you be all right by yourself?" Ash asked: since he knew that this would be the first time May was training, he wasn't sure of whether or not she would be okay doing this on her own. May didn't seem to be as worried about her arrangement, as she happily nodded with a confident smile on her face. "Yeah, don't worry! I'll be fine. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have any Pokemon at my side, would I?" May asked in response. That seemed to be a reasonable enough answer for Ash as his concerned expression was replaced with a smile and he then nodded: it seemed that he now agreed with May's suggestion.

"All right then. I guess that's not a problem if you think it isn't. We'll meet back here in a few hours, okay?" Ash asked. May promptly nodded in agreement: that sounded good to her. With this, Ash looked down at all of his pokemon. "All right, let's go, you guys!" Ash all of his pokemon nodded and Ash started to head off to the left with all his Pokemon following not too far behind. Once he was out of her clear vision, May looked down at both her Pokemon.

"Well, guess it's just us. Torchic, Azurill, follow me!" May said. She then stood upright and started to rush off into the forest with Torchic and Azurill following right behind her. Once they got to a good enough distance, May stopped running and starting looking around the trees to see if she could find any Pokemon in the area. "Now let's see. What kinds of Pokemon would I be able to find around here?" May wondered as she pressed her finger underneath her chin as she was trying to think. Torchic turned her gaze to a tree beside her and, getting an idea, ran over to it. She looked up at the tree in silence for a few moments and then, with her beak glowing bright white, she started rapidly pecking against the bark. Azurill bounced over to see what her fellow Pokemon was doing and then May turned her head to notice this.

"Torchic, what are you doing?" May asked. She then glanced up to see the leaves on one of the branches up near the top of the tree starting to shake. Torchic stopped pecking against the tree and then she looked up with a bright smile noticing that her attempt at finding a Pokemon seemed to be successful. Up on the tree, the leaves continued shaking for a few moments before a little worm-like Pokemon crawled out onto the branch: it had bright scarlet red skin with a cream coloured underbelly, a little yellow spike on the top of its head, yellow eyes with big black pupils, ten little stubby white legs and two yellow spines at the end of its body. "What sort of Pokemon is that?" May asked with an expression of surprise on her face. She grabbed her Pokedex out of her bag and opened it to find out what Pokemon she found.

"Wurmple, the Worm Pokemon. Wurmple primarily lives off sap from trees, and the suction cups on its feet keep it from slipping." The Pokedex explained. May stared at the information in fascination and then she looked back up at the tree to watch Wurmple slowly turn around, crawl across the tree branch and start munching on the leaves from the branch. May was silent for a few seconds as she, Torchic and Azurill stared up at the little worm Pokemon before she smiled and nodded with a determined expression on her face, coming to a decision. "I'll try and catch that Wurmple!" she stated. With this, she walked over to the tree, grabbed hold of it and slowly started to make her way up trying to get up to that Wurmple.

Meanwhile, Ash had arrived out to his area of the forest with Pikachu and Larvitar while trrecko easily sat near a tree and right beside him and he turned to his six Pokemon. "Well, this looks like a good place to get started on training. Pikachu, you go and see if there's any Pokemon around here we can battle." Ash said, looking down at the Electric Mouse Pokemon. Pikachu nodded in agreement and started to scout off ahead while Ash turned his gaze to Larvitar, and then he knelt down so he was close to the little Pokemon's height. "Larvitar, you can just watch this time around. I know that battling might worry you, so I don't want you to get involved in something you don't want to do. Does that sound good to you?" Ash asked, rubbing the Rock Skin Pokemon's head. Larvitar brightly smiled and nodded in agreement: he was glad to hear that Ash understood how he was feeling. Ash showed a bright smile in return, happy to see that Larvitar was okay with that idea.

He then looked up in the direction May went off in, and an expression of concern quickly crossed his face. "I wonder if May will be all right by herself." Ash commented to himself: he knew that May was just starting on her adventure as a Trainer and, as much as he wouldn't admit it out loud, he didn't want to her to do anything that could get her hurt. Ash suddenly felt a bright smile cross his face at the mention of May's name and he had to wonder: what was it about May that made him feel so happy inside?

"(Pika!)" Ash's thoughts were promptly interrupted when he heard Pikachu calling his name and he ran over, with Larvitar following, to see Pikachu standing at a tree he had come towards and he was excitedly pointing at it with a big smile on his face. "(Pikapi Pika Pika pikachu pi pika!)" Pikachu explained. Ash looked up at the tree Pikachu was pointing at and, after about a few seconds to think it over, smiled and nodded in confirmation.

"Well, let's see what we find. Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash called. With this, Pikachu charged towards the tree at full speed and rammed straight against the bark. Poochyena!"Tackle Attack, Poochyena Also Rammed At The Tree, Treecko Pound!" Ash Ordered and Treecko raised his tail and slammed it on the tree. After a few seconds, the leaves on the top of the tree started to rapidly shake and Ash and Pikachu both showed a big smile, thrilled by this. "All right! I think we found something!" Ash cheered, while Pikachu happily jumped into the air at this. The Other Pokemon stared at a confused manner clearly not understanding what their trainer was they looked back up at the tree watching it shake for a few more seconds before the shaking stopped, which caused Ash and his five Pokemon to stare in confusion wondering what was going on. But then, a horde of bug Pokemon slowly came out from inside the tree: they were all bright yellow with black stripes at the bottom of their body with a stinger on the abdomen, big bright red eyes, four legs with two legs on the bottom of their bodies and two arms that were tipped with long, conical stingers, antennae in the shape of the number seven and two pairs of rounded, veined wings that were fluttering rapidly to keep them in the air. They all glared at Ash, irritated by being disturbed from their snack time. Ash, at the meantime, slowly backed away with an expression of fear: he could recognise what those Pokemon were right from the top of his head.

"Beedrill!" Ash yelled out; he honestly couldn't believe how many hordes of those Beedrill there were and he had run into quite a few in his past travels. Pikachu slowly stepped forward with a determined glare and sparks of electricity crackling from his red cheeks. The Beedrill then charged forward ready to attack Ash, but Larvitar, who had received a large fright from seeing those Beedrill so close up, suddenly let out a loud high-pitched scream that immediately prompted Ash and Pikachu to both cover their ears: the scream was so loud that light blue sound vibrations could be seen emanating from it.

"Larvitar's using Screech again!" Ash cried out, just barely being able to hear himself over the volume and pitch of the screaming. "(Pikachu Pika Pi Pika!)" Pikachu yelled, having pulled his ears down and immediately covering them; he found the screaming to be just as unbearable to listen to as Ash did. The Beedrill were all so frightened by the loud screech that they quickly started to fly away in panic. Once they were gone, Larvitar stopped screaming and watched in surprise as the Beedrill horde flew away in fright. Ash and Pikachu both uncovered their ears once they knew that the screaming stopped and they both looked down at Larvitar with a big smile on their face.

"Larvitar! You chased those Beedrill away!" Ash cheered, happily picking up Larvitar and tightly hugging him while Larvitar stared in puzzlement wondering what was happening. "(Pikachu pikapi Pika pika!)" Pikachu added having jumped up onto Ash's shoulder in the meantime. Larvitar then realised that he had actually been successful in a battle, even if he didn't mean to get involved to begin with, and showed a big smile happily clapping all the while. Ash then released his embrace on Larvitar and turned his gaze in the direction the Beedrill flew off in.

"Looks like they headed off to the right..." Ash said to himself. He then caught his own words and gasped when he realised who was in that area. "They're flying straight towards where May is! We have to hurry before they catch up to her!" he then quickly added turning to his two Pokemon. Pikachu and Larvitar both nodded in agreement and they rushed off to the area that May would be in, certain that was where the Beedrill were headed. "Don't you worry, May. I'll stop those Beedrill before they catch up to you." Ash promised, saying that more to himself than he was to anyone else.

At the same time as Ash's training, May had just finished climbing up the tree and she was slowly crawling across the branch over to the Wurmple, making sure to be as quiet as possible so the Wurmple wouldn't hear her coming. Down on the ground, Torchic and Azurill were watching all the while with expressions of concern as they were both wondering if May was okay. "(May, is everything all right up there?)" Torchic asked. "(Are you okay, Miss May?)" Azurill added, tilting her head as if she was wondering what was going on. May looked down to see her two Pokemon watching in concern and she showed a confident smile.

"Yeah, I'm all right! You don't need to worry!" May replied, waving to the two Pokemon down on the ground to let them know of her status. With this, she resumed crawling across the branch slowly making her way over to the Wurmple who was still munching on branch leaves, unaware of May approaching behind it. "Wow, I can hardly believe that I'm about to catch my third Pokemon. I can't imagine how Ash will respond when he sees that I was able to pull off something like that. Oh, he'll be so proud of me!" May commented to herself, with her cheeks lightly glowing red at the thought of being able to impress Ash with such a successful feat. But then she realised that she was talking a bit too loudly for her own good and looked down to see Torchic and Azurill staring at May in confusion, wondering what she was talking about. "Oh, don't mind me. I was just...talking to myself." May said, showing a nervous smile while a sweatdrop appeared on the side of her head from embarrassment.

Torchic and Azurill both stared at each other as they were both wondering what May meant when she mentioned how Ash would respond to her being able to catch a third Pokemon. "(For torching torch tor)" Torchic squeaked. Azurill turned her head to one side while showing an expression of puzzlement wondering what that word meant. "(Torch torchic tor torchic.)" Torchic explained.

"(Azurill azu rill azur azurill.)" Azurill innocently replied. Torchic stared at her new friend in disbelief at the mention of the possibility of May liking Ash. "(Torch tor torch torchic.)" Torchic commented: since she was inside her Pokeball while they were on Route 101 and at Oldale Town, Torchic didn't notice everything that happened with Ash and May. However, since Azurill was outside on their way to Oldale Town, she noticed what had happened with them.

"(Azurii Azu rill azur Azuril.)" Azurill explained. Torchic slowly nodded as she listened; she could understand where Azurill was coming from with all of this.

May could hear Azurill talking to Torchic all the while and she showed a small smile; she had to admit that, even though she wasn't able to understand what Azurill was saying, she got the basic essentials of the explanation and she couldn't deny it: she, in fact, had taken a liking to Ash. However, she wasn't sure of whether or not he felt the same way and whether he would actually return her feelings. But then she remembered what happened at Oldale Town: Ash showing her around the Pokemon Centre and reassuring her that Nurse Joy would take good care of her Pokemon, him standing in front of her and protecting her against the group of thugs that they had now identified to be Team Magma, him complementing her on her battling capabilities and when the two were down in the underground cavern, he held her hand to make sure that she would know that she was safe since he knew that she was worried about going down the staircase and he never let go once. Remembering all of that made May's smile grow larger in size and her cheeks start to glow, and she mentally decided that she would wait for the right time; she would wait and make sure that Ash was ready to learn about her newfound feelings and then that would be when she would tell him the truth.

Suddenly, her contemplative thoughts were rudely interrupted when she heard a loud scream coming from the area of the forest that she knew Ash would be in. She looked up to see loud blue vibrations echoing through the air and piercing the silence around them. "What's that?" May asked from surprise as she, Torchic and Azurill all looked in the direction the sound vibrations were coming from. May then looked back to see that Wurmple had turned around to her and was staring her straight in the eyes. May then suddenly screamed in shock, which prompted Wurmple to quickly scamper away and hide into the tree bushes, and then she lost her grip on the tree branch and dropped down on the ground in front of her two Pokemon, landing on her head with a loud thud. Seeing this, Torchic and Azurill both immediately rushed over with expressions of worry as May slowly sat up rubbing her head to make sure she didn't damage it too much.

"(Torchic tor torch chic?)" Torchic chipped . "(Azurill Azu Rio Azu?)" Azurill asked. May turned to see her two Pokemon looking up at her in concern and then she smiled and slowly shook her head just to be certain that it was still intact from that impact.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You both don't need to worry. Hopefully that will be the last time I end up landing on my head." May replied. Once she made sure that her head was still safe, she looked up at the tree that she had just climbed up and fell off at the same time, and noticed that the Wurmple had scattered off from fright. "Oh, I let it get away. How could I make such a silly mistake like that?" May sighed in dismay, looking down at the ground feeling reasonably disappointed with herself for her failed attempt to catch another Pokemon. Torchic and Azurill both showed expressions of concern: they didn't want to see May feeling down on herself like this. Just then, the three could hear the sounds of hovering wings and looked up wondering what was causing this. "What's that sound?" May asked, as she immediately got up on her feet and slowly stepped forward to investigate the cause of the hovering sounds. Before she could go any further, a large horde of Beedrill suddenly rushed forward having been frightened by the loud screeching that May and her Pokemon heard. Upon seeing this, May jumped back and screamed in fright.

"What are those?!" she basically cried out, while Torchic and Aurill both jumped up into the air and both yelled out in panic at the same time. Not willing to take any chances to find out, May promptly turned around and started to run away, with Torchic and Azurill running right beside her and the horde of Beedrill chasing after them. "Why is it always me that manages to get into danger?!" May yelled. This was now the second time she had managed to get herself into trouble: first the Mightyena attacking her and now this. May looked over her shoulder about a second to see the Beedrill following her; from the looks of the horde, it seemed like there was more than a dozen of them. She then gasped in shock and quickly looked away, not wanting to get another glance of those Pokemon. Torchic then turned her head to see the Beedrill horde and, with an expression of determination crossing her face as she got an idea, turned right around and stopped right in her tracks. May and Azurill both turned to find that Torchic had stopped and was staring the incoming horde straight in the eyes so they both turned and ran right over to her. "Torchic, what are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself if you let that horde get near you!" May called. Azurill, on the other hand, seemed to understand what Torchic was trying to do because she showed an expression of determination just like Torchic and bounced over to stand right beside her.

"(Tor Chic chic)" Torchic stated. May stared at her two Pokemon in surprise noticing now confident they were that they would be able to chase the horde of Beedrill away, and they were just waiting for her to tell them what to do. Understanding what they were both trying to tell her, May showed a smile of confidence and then she simply nodded: she felt ready to help them out. With this, the three glanced up to see the large horde coming right towards them.

"All right, let's go! Torchic, use Ember and Azurill, use Water Gun!" May said, pointing directly towards the horde so they knew who to attack. With this, Torchic and Azurill both jumped up into the air and Torchic shot out small blasts of fire from her beak while Azurill shot a strong blast of water from her mouth. The two attacks directly hit the Beedrill horde and they immediately turned and buzzed away retreating into the trees ahead while May watched. Once the horde was completely out of sight, May showed a bright smile and she jumped up into the air in excitement. "Yes, we did it! Great job, you two!" May cheered. Torchic and Azurill both smiled at each other and started jumped up and down, thrilled by their successful effort.

"May!" Hearing that voice, May slowly turned around to see Ash run over with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder and Larvitar running beside him; she could see that he had a concerned expression on his face and he also looked worn out like he had been running over to find her from a long distance. As soon as he approached her, Ash stopped and placed his hands on his knees and then looked down to catch his breath. May couldn't help herself smiling a bit as she noticed how exhausted Ash was from running to find her; it suddenly made her imagine him running all this way just to make sure that she was okay. Sure enough after taking a few seconds to get his breath back, Ash looked up at May and then adjusted himself so he was standing upright. "I started to run over here when I noticed that those Beedrill were coming towards where you were training. Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?" Ash asked almost rapidly, as if his worry that something might have happened to May had caught up with him.

May happily giggled a little listening to Ash's concern for her safety before she turned to him and shook her head showing a reassuring smile. "No, I'm okay. That horde had another thing coming trying to attack me, Torchic and Azurill." she replied. Ash stared in surprise hearing May sounding so confident after she was just nearly attacked by a horde of Beedrill, but then he started to smile once he figured out why that would be.

"You mean you battled them yourself and chased them away?" Ash asked. May promptly nodded in agreement; while she did get a fright after seeing the horde at first, that was indeed the case. Ash's smile immediately grew larger upon hearing this: it was obvious that he was largely impressed hearing that May had yet again been successful in battling on her own. "May, that's great! You're really starting to get better at battling by yourself." Ash commented. "(He's right. Good job, May!)" Pikachu agreed showing a big smile all the while. May showed a bright smile and she couldn't help giggling to herself; though she wasn't successful at catching another Pokemon on her own today, she knew that her battling skills were starting to show improvement, and that was something she knew Ash noticed.

After that, Ash and May were heading back to the area where they decided to split up with their Pokemon following right beside them; Pikachu was sitting on Ash's shoulder and Larvitar, Torchic and Azurill were all walking on the ground. "Man, today was definitely crazy, wasn't it? I certainly didn't expect for us to get attacked by a Beedrill horde." Ash commented. May nodded in agreement; she didn't see that coming either. Ash then turned to May with a smile and she looked over at him with the two looking at each other straight in the eyes. "I have to be honest, May. You're really doing very well with battling considering that you're just getting started with it. I wouldn't be surprised if you were even able to compete in the Pokemon League." Ash added. May couldn't help but show a bright smile; she couldn't believe that Ash already thought so highly of her battling skills, considering that she had only battled one wild Pokemon and one other person so far.

"You...really think so?" she asked. Ash simply nodded in agreement; he was very certain that May would be able to do well. May could feel her cheeks start to glow for the third time in this day alone. She wasn't even sure how Ash had this effect on her, but she liked it regardless. As the two brightly smiled at each other, Ash looked up to see that evening was slowly coming their way as the sun was starting to set over the horizon.

"Looks like it's getting late. We better start setting up camp for the night." Ash commented. May looked up with him to see what he was talking about and she could see that sure enough, evening was approaching. The two soon arrived at the area of the route they split up at and Ash turned to May. "I'm going to go grab some firewood. May, how about you see if you can find us some food?" Ash suggested. May nodded in agreement and she had a big smile on her face: she had to admit that she was impressed by how Ash knew what he was doing. With this, Ash headed off to grab some branches for firewood while May turned and looked down at Torchic and Azurill.

"Come on, you two. Let's see if we can find some food for tonight." May said. Torchic and Azurill both nodded in agreement, so the three headed off into the forest to see what they could find. Once they got to a good area, May started to look around the trees. "Let's see. What would we be able to find around here?" she wondered as she slowly walked having a look around the trees to see what there was on the branches. She then turned her head to find that on a tree beside her, there were several big blue berries hanging on the branches: she could identify them as Oran Berries. "Wow, those look so tasty. They'd make a pretty good meal." May commented. With this, she walked over to the tree and started to pluck a few berries from the branches.

"(Miss May! Come look at this!)" Recognizing those squeals to be coming from Azurill, May turned and rushed off to find where her two Pokemon had gone off to. Meanwhile, from where they were, Torchic and Azurill were staring at a bush in front of them with their eyes having gone large from excitement and they could see that there were various kinds of Berries on it. The two could hear May approaching and turned around to see that she had just arrived.

"What's happening? What did you find?" May asked. She then looked down to see the bush that Torchic and Azurill were looking at and she gasped in awe to see how many kinds of Berries there were: there were Oran Berries, Pecha Berries and many others that May couldn't even indentify. And to make the deal even sweeter, there was a lot of them too: this was just what she was looking for. "Wow, this is amazing! We've got more than enough of what we need. I have to say, not only are you two great battlers, but you're also great food hunters as well." May commented, bending down to Torchic and Azurill and happily rubbing their heads. The two Pokemon both happily smiled: they are more than glad to help May out. "Come on, let's grab how much we need and meet up with Ash." May then added. Torchic and Azurill nodded in agreement and with that, the three got to work picking several Berries from the bush.

Meanwhile, Ash had just finished placing the sticks and branches he found in place for the campfire. "Now the campfire's in place. We just need to wait for May to come back with our food." Ash said, looking down at Pikachu with a satisfied smile.

"Right here!" Ash turned his head to see May walking over with Torchic and Azurill, and he nearly jumped back in surprise when he noticed that May's arms were filled with different kinds of Berries, as well as Torchic and Azurill carrying a few on their back and head respectively. "We found a bush that had a lot of Berries on it, and we just grabbed what we needed from there." May explained noticing Ash's expression of shock.

"Well, I can agree that we have what we need. But don't you think that was a few too many?" Ash asked, noticing just how many May had in her arms alone. "That's okay. We can save whatever we don't eat for later down the road." May replied. Ash then showed a smile and nodded: that sounded like a good idea to him.

Sometime later, night-time had fallen and Ash and May were sitting on the grass next to each other cooking the berries they placed on a stick over their campfire while their four Pokemon were munching on a bunch of raw Berries the two Trainers left for them. "I have to admit, I feel like I'm out on a camping trip. Sitting out in front of a fire set up on our own, eating food that we find out in the forest. And it's better than I thought it would be." May commented as she and Ash looked over at each other.

"Yeah, it really feels that way, doesn't it? And the best part of it is you also have a great view of the night sky." Ash agreed. The two then looked to see the berries had been thoroughly cooked, so they lifted the sticks from the fire and started to munch on the berries. "I've got to say, May, this is really a good dinner. You should make things for us to eat more often." Ash commented, with his mouth full of berries. May then covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her laughing from how amusing Ash sounded with his mouth full. Once Ash swallowed the berry bits he was munching on, he turned to May. "Don't you think so?" he then asked, sounding more intelligible.

"Oh, believe me, Ash. My cooking has to be the least professional you'll ever want to see. I, in complete honesty, cannot be trusted to work in a kitchen by myself." May explained, placing her hands in front of her and immediately shaking her head. She then noticed that Ash was staring at her in surprise like he was wondering if her cooking was really as bad as she was making it out to be. "Okay, it's not really that bad. But still, it's not very professional." May then added, deciding to be honest about it.

"Have you ever thought about learning how to cook foods?" Ash asked. "Well, my parents did enrol me in a few cooking classes when I was little. But I never really payed attention whenever my instructor would tell me what to do. I'm not kidding when I say this: the dishes I would serve made the others look better in comparison." May explained. Ash then covered his mouth trying not to laugh from how ridiculously silly that sounded. Noticing him trying not to laugh, May immediately frowned. "That's not funny! I'm being serious!" she snapped, upset that Ash was laughing at her.

"I know that, it's just..." Ash then took his hand away from his mouth, recovering from his near laughing outburst. "I can't imagine that something you would make could really be that bad." Ash then said. May's frown was immediately replaced with an expression of surprise, like she was wondering if she was really hearing this. "Yeah, I'm telling the truth. Considering how good these are, I honestly think you can make some really delicious meals with the right teaching." Ash continued. May's expression of surprise was soon replaced with a bright smile as she heard Ash say this: she didn't expect for him to actually be complementary towards something she made. But...that was something she really liked: Ash was pretty much confident in every one of her abilities while others didn't feel the same way.

Later on, Ash and May had just finished eating their berries and were looking up at the night sky sitting beside one another. "Wow, the sky looks so beautiful from out here." May whispered, staring up at the stars in awe. Ash looked over at May with a big smile seeing how enthralled she was; it was obvious that she was having a great time.

"Yeah, it sure does." Ash agreed slowly nodding. May then scooted over closer to Ash, him not noticing, and then rested her head on his shoulder. Ash then turned his glance to see this and looked over at May in surprise. "What are you doing?" he asked. May lifted her eyes up to look at Ash and she showed a bright smile.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked in response. As Ash looked down at May, he noticed that her eyes, which were already wonderful enough on their own, had reflections of the stars in them making them look even more dazzling. He then found himself staring in amazement and he felt like his heartbeat was slowly increasing seeing how beautiful May's eyes looked. After about a few seconds he slowly shook his head with a big smile slowly showing; he didn't seem to mind at all. "That's good. I just thought you'd be a bit uncomfortable with me like this." May said. The two then looked back up at the night sky with big smiles on their face; it was clear that they greatly enjoyed spending time with each other.

After what seemed like minutes, Ash and May both turned to find that their Pokemon had fallen asleep. "You ready to head to sleep as well?" Ash asked. May nodded in agreement, so Ash opened his bag and grabbed out his sleeping bag, setting it on the ground and unzipping it before climbing it and making himself comfortable. He then turned to notice that May didn't have anything to sleep on, as she rested up against a tree looking quite cold, so he figured that maybe he should let her sleep with him for the night.

"May?" he asked. May turned her head to look over at Ash sitting up in his sleeping bag and he was placing his hand against it offering her to hop in. "You can sleep with me tonight if you'd like." Ash offered. May then stood up and walked over, and then she bent down with an expression of surprise.

"Are you sure? Is that okay with you?" she asked. Ash immediately nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't worry. There's plenty of room in this thing. Come on, hop in." he replied. May then smiled in gratitude, and she slowly climbed into the sleeping bag while Ash slowly moved over to make room for her. Once May was comfortable, she looked over at Ash.

"Thanks, Ash." May said. "You're welcome. Just make sure you're comfortable and feel free to let me know if you need a bit more space." Ash replied. May nodded in agreement and then the two snuggled up and closed their eyes.

"Goodnight, Ash." May said. "Goodnight, May." Ash replied. With this, the two were soon sound asleep.

The next morning, the sun slowly rose in the horizon and Ash and May were still sound asleep in the sleeping bag: during the night, May had snuggled up next to Ash and she had her arms wrapped around him. May then slowly opened her eyes and looked over at Ash with a big smile. "Good morning." she softly whispered. Ash then opened his eyes and shifted his gaze over to May beside him and a bright smile crossed his face.

"Oh, morning, May. Did you sleep well last night?" he asked. May happily nodded in agreement. "I sure did. Thanks again for letting me sleep with you, Ash. It was really nice of you to do that." May commented.

"Oh, you're welcome. I just didn't want you sleeping out in the cold. Wouldn't be feeling very good in the morning, would you?" Ash asked. May softly giggled and shook her head; she wouldn't be feeling as good as she was right now.

Sometime later, the two were fully dressed and had just finished packing up everything. "So, are we ready to keep moving to Petalburg City?" Ash asked. "We sure are." May agreed, happily nodding. With this, the two continued to walk down the path to Petalburg City. As the two were walking, May couldn't help herself thinking about what happened last night: Ash offered her to sleep with him in his sleeping bag, and he was perfectly fine with it to boot. That made her gain a big smile on her face, and she knew that though he didn't understand what he was feeling for her, she was certain that it was starting to become more than just friendship for him. Ash was looking at the path ahead and then he showed a smile noticing something in front of them.

"May, look!" Ash immediately said, pointing ahead. May looked with him to see what he found and noticed that looking out from behind a bush in front of them was a little Pokemon with a white body and its arms and legs resembled either a ball gown or an oversized dress. It also had green hair that resembled a bowl cut and covered most of its face including its red eyes, and the hair was split by two horns with a large horn at the front and a smaller horn at the back.

"What's that?" May asked. She immediately grabbed out her Pokedex and opened it up to find out what this little Pokemon was. "Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon. Ralts has the power to sense the emotions of people and Pokemon with the horns on its head. It takes cover if it senses any hostility." The Pokedex explained. May stared at the information in fascination and then she looked up at the little Ralts, who turned to see the two Trainers with an expression of uncertainty. May then smiled and nodded, quickly coming to her decision.

"I'm going to try and catch it!" she stated. With this, she grabbed out a Pokeball from her bag and threw it. "Torchic, let's go!" she called. The Pokeball then opened and Torchic came out, landing on the ground and looking at the Ralts with a smile of determination. "All right, let's battle! Torchic, use Ember!" May said pointing at the Ralts.

Torchic jumped up in the air and shot small blasts of fire from her beak at the Ralts. However, Ralts quickly jumped out of the way, much to both May and Torchic's surprise, and then ran over to May and hid behind her hugging one of her legs. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you running away from someone or something?" May asked, with an expression of concern crossing her face as she noticed how frightened the Ralts seemed to be.

Ralts slowly nodded in agreement and then pointed forward, Ash and May both turned to see what had scared Ralts and noticed a small group of Poochyena come over growling angrily at Ralts. Ralts then started to shake in fear and hid behind May. Noticing that the Poochyena might have scared Ralts, Ash and May both turned to the Poochyena with expressions of anger. "What do you think you're all doing? Can't you see that you're scaring this Ralts? And it didn't even do anything wrong to you!" Ash scolded; he clearly didn't like it whenever Pokemon were upset at each other for apparently no reason.

The Poochyena didn't pay any attention to Ash and continued glaring while growling all the while. "I guess someone needs a lesson on how to behave towards a fellow Pokemon. Torchic, use Ember!" May commented, noticing that the Poochyena weren't listening to reason. With this, Torchic shot up small blasts of fire from her beak directly at the ground startling the Poochyena and sending them running away in panic. "Maybe that will teach you some manners!" May called as she and Ash watched the pack running away. Once the Poochyena were gone, May turned around and bent down to see the Ralts still hiding behind her. "It's okay. Those Poochyena are gone now. They won't hurt you, and neither will I." May softly explained with her previous expression of anger now replaced with care and concern.

Ralts looked up at May noticing her gentle smile and couldn't feel any hate in her emotions, and then it showed a small smile and jumped into May's arms. "(Thank you...I don't know what those Poochyena would have done if they caught me. I'm so glad you were here.)" Ralts said. May brightly smiled seeing how happy Ralts was that she was there to help and held the Emotion Pokemon in her arms.

"Well, you're welcome. My name's May, and over here is my friend, Ash." May replied looking up at Ash during her introduction. Ralts slowly turned around to see Ash and Pikachu sitting on his shoulder and showed a smile before slowly waving to them. "You don't need to be scared, Ralts. Ash and Pikachu won't hurt you either." May said, noticing that Ralts still looked a bit worried.

"May's telling the truth. The odds of me ever doing anything to hurt a Pokemon are slim to none." Ash stated. "(He's right. Ash would never do anything like that to a Pokemon.)" Pikachu agreed; he knew Ash enough to know that was the truth.

"(Ralts real alt ralt.)" Ralts said, slowly nodding in acceptance. Ralts then turned to May who was still holding it in her arms. "(Alts Ralt Ral ?)" Ralts asked. May brightly smiled and nodded; even though she couldn't understand what Ralts was saying, it sounded to her like Ralts wanted to be a part of her team and that was something she was more than happy to accept.

"Of course, Ralts! I would love to have you on my team!" May immediately replied. Ralts showed a big smile at this, the first that she had shown after seeing May, and then started clapping. "(Ralts Ral alt ral!)" Ralts happily explained; she knew that she was going to love being on May's team.

"Well, it looks like you have a new friend, May." Ash commented. "(Pi Pikachu !)" Pikachu happily agreed showing a smile in excitement. May happily nodded in agreement, and then she looked down at Ralts with the two happily smiling at each other.

"All right! I got a Ralts!" May cheered jumping up in the air in celebration. Ralts, joining in on the celebration, jumped out of May's arms into the air; she was now part of a team that she knew would love having her.

Now guys Inc an explain.I should have uploaded My story earlier but unfortunately I went to the hospital bcuz of operation.I was supposed to update yesterday but laziness got the better of me and that's why I am updating do know that May kinda doesn't understand poke-speech but she'll get the hang of it later on.

Chloboshoka:You simply don't know what it means to me to get a I first took this story I had only one thing in mind And that was to finish the story and I will finish it.

Spectileman12: I don't want to be rude but would you really want Ash to carry 30 't you think it's kinda do know that Ash has to get more Pokemon and Trading them is one the best ways to do it. And no Brendan And Wally both will be Ash's me Brendan already knows that Ash is an experienced Trainer and Wally wil get his first Pokemon because of Ash so that's he will also take Ash seriously because you know Ash being a League trainer and all.

Ninjafang1331;:Thank you for your kind like you inspire me to write more.

Draczo:I will keep on Updating don't worry.


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